Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Without being insular, we need to focus on our own situation. We are a small economy and we need to be focused. I am not afraid to say from the Government benches that we need to continue to give people confidence. There is a sense that nothing will be built if any money is to be found. I heard a good debate on radio this morning in which a contributor said that we should continue to build infrastructure. I do not want to be parochial but all the local Deputies have campaigned in the Tallaght region for the building programme at the Holy Rosary Family national school, which is 25 years old. I raised this matter on the Adjournment a couple of weeks ago. The school, which deals with a mixed international community, is still working in prefabricated buildings. I have said to the Minister for Education and Science that if he has money, he should be able to spend it on programmes such as this school because that creates confidence, jobs and infrastructure. I would hate to look back on this period in ten or 20 years' time, if we are still around, and say that, whatever about struggling through the post-boom period, we did not make efforts to continue to build for the future. I hope those kinds of projects continue to get the attention they deserve.

The best way to deal with poverty has always been, down the generations, through employment. While I do not wish to put any pressure on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, it, above all the other Departments, faces a serious challenge. We cannot give up or surrender. We must continue to create jobs all around the country. I will make the case for Tallaght as strongly as anybody else but we need jobs in Ireland. I hope that whatever happens on 7 April the budget will take account of some of the issues I have raised.

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