Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The first fundamental way to protect and expand Irish jobs is to get our competitiveness right and to put the public finances on a sound footing. This we are doing. The second key strategy is to invest in the smart economy, maintain high levels of capital spending and direct that into labour intensive areas. This we are also doing. For example, I announced the establishment of a stabilisation fund of €100 million over two years, to support vulnerable but viable enterprises and a research and development target of 2.5% of GNP by 2013.

In addition to that, I announced in the recent supplementary budget a further range of activation initiatives which will msupport individual enterprise through enhanced access to the back to work enterprise allowance scheme; facilitate some 1,400 additional claims; encourage further education through earlier eligibility for the back to education allowance; facilitate work experience through a new scheme, to include placement of graduates, which will cater for 2,000 people; expand activation opportunities for over 14,000 people; support redundant apprentices to receive additional training in the education sector – for up to 700 people; enable participation in further and higher education for over 6,000 people; and initiate pilot training schemes for workers on a three day week.

Each country must pursue its own jobs strategies in line with the resources it has available and the particular features of its economy. There is no "one policy fits all" approach.

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