Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Creed made the point that much of the information was contained in the last paragraph of my reply. In fact, all the information about the numbers involved in the scheme is in the prior elements. Two schemes, in fact, were mentioned in the question, the farm waste management and the farm improvement schemes. The latter is not affected by the end of year deadline in this instance.

The Deputy also makes the point about the health and safety element of the construction industry and this is obviously a requirement that needs to be adhered to, and in my view it can be, quite comfortably. As regards the construction industry, the Deputy is right that in excess of 80,000 units were built in 2006 and the outturn for this year will probably be somewhere less than half that. There has been considerable speculation as regards the numbers being made unemployed in the construction sector by spokesmen from his and other parties. I do not have a concern therefore as regards manpower——

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