Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

This may be the last opportunity we have to question the Taoiseach before the vote for the House to rise for the summer recess. It is perfectly obvious to everybody that there is a jobs crisis. I was looking at the Taoiseach's acceptance speech on his appointment to office and noted it contained no reference at all, good, bad or indifferent, to jobs, either in English or Irish. Some of the comments he made were quite interesting. He stated, "The movement of our people is now by choice; in the past, it was by force of circumstance. [...] However, Ireland in 2008 is a much better place to live for more of our people than ever before. [This is true.] Far fewer of our people are struggling on the margins of society."

In the well-publicised speech the Taoiseach made to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce on 5 February this year, he pulled no punches and made no bones about the fact that the jobs crisis was the central focus of the Government. He stated jobs must be the priority in the coming years, with which I agree. In this regard, Fine Gael has put forward a detailed, costed plan for the protection and creation of 180,000 jobs. IBEC, the Construction Industry Federation and ICTU have produced plans for job creation. In this regard, I agree with Mr. Danny McCoy, Mr. David Begg and Mr. Tom Parlon on the necessity to create jobs. The plans are by no means perfect but they are plans nevertheless and contain targets and objectives.

Given that there are now 418,000 on the live register and that small businesses are going to the wall by the day, what is the Government's plan job creation? How many jobs does it expect to create in the next six months, and how does it expect to achieve this?

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