Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy will hear from the Minister for Finance next week on all these issues regarding Government decisions and plans. This particular unit has been involved in the activation of areas pertaining to enterprise supports and support for the unemployed. It has an input in such questions and has helped to bring together various Departments, such as the Departments of Social and Family Affairs, Education and Science and Enterprise, Trade and Employment, as a means of bringing forward proposals for the Government to consider in the context of what is an extremely tight budgetary situation. Moreover, to suggest that the policy unit is in some way superfluous to requirements is to miss the point completely.

See this speech in context