Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

We are open to implementing schemes and using the social partnership process as a monitor in any way that will convert passive income support into support for job retention and employment. The fundamental context in which all that must happen is to improve the competitiveness of the economy, something that is being done in many ways. However, in respect of short-term measures, the initial amount of €250 million is not a cap. It is about evolving policies and continuing discussions in terms of employee focused help on short-term social welfare provision, as well as helping companies that have been identified as being able to take up employment subsidies under this scheme and maintain jobs that would otherwise be lost. It is a question of devising the schemes to avoid the effect of displacement and distortion. One must be fair and reasonable to everybody in the system.

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