James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

To say this Bill is based on a fallacy and mere empty words is an understatement. Announcing it with the usual fanfare and spin last Thursday, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, spoke the unbelievable words: "The Government is committed to protecting the economy from the worst effects of the current international downturn and to ensuring our international competitiveness is maintained and enhanced." I would like to ask the Minister what exactly he means by ensuring our international competitiveness is maintained and enhanced when the problem across the length and breadth of the country, leading to one business closure after another and a rapidly rising live register figure, is our lack of competitiveness and the impossibility of enhancing something that does not exist in the first place.

As for the Government protecting the economy from the worst effects of the current international downturn, the Minister will forgive me if I find that totally laughable. What would be more believable and relevant would be if the Minister had said the purpose was to protect the economy from the worst excesses and mismanagement of this jaded Fianna Fáil and withering Green Government. In perhaps the most desperate words ever used by a politician for self-justification, the Minister told us last Thursday that the Bill will give effect to the proposed budget changes and help restore order and stability in the public finances - some hope with the inadequacies of budget 2009.

This was not the end of the farce. Once again, the Minister and the Government are harping back to what is becoming an old chestnut at this stage, the development of a knowledge-based economy. With a quarter of Irish adults functionally illiterate, perhaps rather than put the cart before the horse, it might be advisable to enhance rather than diminish educational spending and provision, to give what seems to be a pipe-dream of a knowledge-based economy some chance of getting off the ground. Words are cheap but the day-to-day reality for everyone in the workforce is that jobs are being eaten up at the rate of one every three minutes as the result of the Government's economic mismanagement, forcing businesses to close their doors. It is happening in my county and in County Westmeath, the two counties I represent. As a Deputy for Longford-Westmeath, which has suffered from continuous Government neglect under the watch of Deputy Peter Kelly and Deputy Mary O'Rourke, I am only too aware of the impact this is having on rural areas.

According to the latest live register figures, the number of people signing on in County Longford stands at 3,423. This represents an increase of 1,136, or 49.7%, in 12 months and a rise of 678, or 24.7%, since Deputies Cowen and Coughlan took over as Taoiseach and Tánaiste.

Unemployment in County Westmeath to the end of October was 6,213, with a figure of 2,331 in Athlone, up 1,470 since October 2007. The Castlepollard figures are up from 424 in October 2007 to 796 and Mullingar has 3,086 on the live register, an increase of 52.5% from the October 2007 figure of 2,023.

The standardised unemployment rate of 6.7% is the highest since 1998 in percentage terms. Ireland now appears certain to overtake the European Union average by the end of the current year. With the live register showing the biggest monthly increase in history, hard-hit families are suffering in their thousands from Fianna Fail's botched handling of the economy. The Government is paralysed and not one Minister is performing at the present time.

Unemployment is the human cost of economic mismanagement. The Government has abandoned the people on employment in the same way as it has on public services and finances.

The Tánaiste, Deputy Coughlan, as Minister for Agriculture and Food, was responsible for a large number of midlands farmers being driven off the land and now it looks as though she will stand over a continual pattern of job losses in the midlands. Nothing changes in agriculture, however. The Minister's successor, Deputy Brendan Smith, has shamefully axed the farm retirement scheme and the installation aid scheme for young farmers, as Deputy Connaughton said, once again hitting the livelihood of our farming sector. There is nothing in the Finance Bill to relieve farmers from the 1% levy on their gross income. Across the board the midlands is losing out under this Government. Whether it is the under-spend in BMW funding, corporate expansion, foreign business investment, infrastructure, health or education, this Government leaves the midlands out of the equation.

Six months ago, when the Tánaiste, Deputy Coughlan, took the Enterprise, Trade and Employment portfolio, I shuddered to think what the new Minister could do to make the situation in the midlands worse. Those months have told me exactly what her capabilities are, or rather, are not. There is a history of Government neglect in respect of Longford-Westmeath. The area has been shamefully disregarded in respect of the natural gas expansion scheme. Companies operating in Longford-Westmeath have again been left on the hind tit in respect of this important facility. Seven years after it was first promised inclusion under the expansion scheme, Longford-Westmeath is now under consideration for the final phase, phase 3, of that scheme. I do not like the word "phase" because I am aware of the position with regard to the development of the Longford-Westmeath General Hospital, which has been ongoing for the past 13 years under a Fianna Fáil led Government.

It is frightening to consider that in one year unemployment in County Longford has risen by 49.7%, and Athlone has seen an increase of 58.6% in the past year, with rises of 87.7% and 52.5% in Castlepollard and Mullingar respectively. Government policy is to blame others for the shocking rise in unemployment in Longford-Westmeath and other areas throughout the country. Far too many jobs have disappeared as a result of the high cost base. Companies are leaving the country and transferring their operations to more business-friendly locations abroad.

Stealth taxes, high fuel prices, infrastructural deficiencies and a lack of competitiveness are driving up unemployment figures at an alarming rate. We need a high level of intervention and investment by Government and State agencies to secure a future for the people, and particularly my counties of Longford and Westmeath. This country lacks an industrial strategy geared towards low taxes. The Government deserves criticism in respect of inflation and the lack of competitiveness. There is no competitiveness.

The Government must overhaul FÁS, which was described today in the other House as a protected political species, and provide a public works scheme for the unemployed. I call on the Minister and the Government to restore competitiveness and to support business, in particular small and medium enterprises and other companies throughout the country and in the midlands region, which has been badly hit recently. It is clear to everyone but the Government that this can be achieved by freezing charges such as rates and development levies; reducing utility costs for electricity, gas, water and telecommunications; investing in infrastructure, in particular broadband, road and rail; cutting back red tape; reversing the hike in VAT; and suspending the pay deal, consolidating labour law and abolishing anti-employment provisions such as double pay for Sunday working in the catering sector, something that a huge number of my constituents have come to my office on in recent weeks. The Minister will close down public houses and restaurants on Sundays with its carry-on in regard to double pay because most of the people employed on Sundays are young students who need the few bob but they will not have the few bob to spare to help them with their education and accommodation if restaurants close as a result of Government policy of doubling the rate of pay on Sundays.

I do not want to waste too much of the time of the House but the issue of the banks must be addressed. They are behaving dreadfully towards businesses and in terms of freeing up credit for people. In the past, farmers, machinery operators and other business people had no problem repaying mortgages and loans. There is now a credit squeeze and their industries are stifled because of the behaviour of the banks. The banks should free up more cash for those businesses, allow the economy to survive and save jobs.

Householders are becoming homeless as a result of home repossessions. The onus is on the Minister to minimise repossession. We need a proper mortgage rescue scheme to prevent families becoming homeless. The Minister should also increase awareness of the advice services for people experiencing difficulties with mortgages. Comprehensive advice should be available to people currently experiencing difficulties and there is an onus on the Government to provide that.

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