Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

There are 8,000 people on the dole in County Wicklow, which is unprecedented, with almost 2,500 of those in Arklow. There is an emergency meeting tonight about the crisis, particularly in Arklow. People will be asking what the Government will do to ensure job creation and the retention of jobs. I am glad the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, will not be at that meeting because following her speech, frankly, she would be torn apart.

The people are entitled to an answer to their question. I do not believe the Government is meeting the crisis with any kind of coherence or conviction. We all know we face stark choices and that we need strong, innovative leadership. The Government says the economy will shrink by 4% and the likelihood is that 420,000 people will be unemployed. Getting people back to work should be a priority yet the policy is all about cutting back on our potential to increase jobs.

The recent budget was supposed to provide the solution to our difficulties, taking €4 billion out of the economy. Now, the Taoiseach is again obsessing about public finances, cutting them back by another €2 billion. Cutbacks lead to fewer jobs, so people are justifiably asking how such massive reductions in spending can possibly help to restore prosperity and protect jobs. It does not make sense. That is at the heart of the issue in terms of good Government.

There is a place for savings and cutbacks but only within an overall economic recovery plan that harnesses every resource to keep people at work. What is most disturbing about the framework document that The Irish Times kindly published for us is that it is full of vague aspirations. Other countries are getting their act together. We need only consider the record of President Obama to see our Government's performance is quite dismal in comparison. Last week in his inauguration speech, President Obama talked about the greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, and he also referred to the collective failure to make hard choices and prepare for a new age. Within a week of taking office, he has succeeded in getting his national stimulus plan, involving $819 billion, approved by the US House of Representatives.

There is no such honesty or self reflection from the Government, and no such action. Instead, the Government has been scrambling around in the dark. After creating a culture of greed and excess, it is hoping to blame it all on others. Yet, this is the time when a way needs to be charted out of the tough times. We can save jobs and we can get the economy moving again. As Deputy Eamon Gilmore said, we need to see the opportunities instead of the obstacles.

For example, thousands of people are losing their jobs in the construction area. The idea of having a national insulation program is a no-brainer in that it saves on fuel costs and helps to meet our climate change commitments. However, it is not in place yet. This morning, I tried to ascertain if there was any substance to the scheme in terms of a recognition that this work could be set out and done immediately. As usual, all we here is rhetoric and promises. We were promised that the money has been put by for the roll out of the national insulation scheme, but it has not yet taken place. If one inquires when the scheme will commence, one is told it will be next April, which is not good enough. There are people who could be working on the scheme but who are not because the Government is lethargic and drifting and it does not understand the sense of urgency in securing people's jobs. People are expressing a sense of anger because their jobs are under threat, or because they have lost their jobs. The Government should wake up and listen to what people are saying.

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