Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. While the motion makes some proposals, it is also interspersed with some negative ideas. Obviously the situation of rising unemployment in which we find ourselves is of concern. Reference was made to people queuing outside social welfare offices. We do not want to go back to the days when people were in long-term unemployment in some cases for many years with many people emigrating. We must acknowledge that Ireland is now in a different time. In the 1980s there were large numbers of people on long-term unemployment with no prospect of any opportunities in the labour market. In addition, large numbers of people were emigrating who did not have the skill sets to find employment abroad and often found themselves in very menial jobs. We are in a different Ireland now.

We acknowledge that challenges exist, including the global credit crisis. It does not reflect well on the Labour Party to flippantly throw aside the bailout of the banks. Reference to this was made in a roundabout way. We had a huge increase in construction in recent times not only because of the demand for houses due to changing demographics and the major increase in the working population, but also access to cheap credit. That was a fundamental factor in the housing boom. People had access to cheap credit and there was a demand for houses. I never saw Deputy Kathleen Lynch with her placard outside any building site in the country protesting that they should not be working there because it was owned by some landowner or speculator. These were people who borrowed money and provided housing units and many job opportunities. Dismissing these people as if every person——

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