Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

If he continues to carry on in his personal way, he will be on his own. The people on the street are suffering in enraged silence at the carry-on and incompetence of the Government and what has happened here. A total of 750 jobs are to go at Halifax and 200 at Bitech in Louth, while 260 are at risk at Postbank. Bestseller Retail, with 14 stores and 80 jobs, is to close. At Boston Scientific, 175 hi-tech jobs are to be lost, as well as 170 at Debenhams, while 225 are at risk at Hughes and Hughes.

The Taoiseach's comments indicate no appreciation of the pressure and stress being experienced by thousands of people all over the country every day. When they look at this Cabinet, all they see is talk about jobs for the boys and the girls. If it were not so serious it would be like "Lanigan's Ball". We are led to believe from a news story broken on TV3 that Deputy Cuffe has the political carving knife to the throat of his leader, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. All that is being talked about are well paid and well pensioned jobs, when 434,000 men and women are on the live register because the Government's strategy has failed.

What is going up should be going down. Bank interest rates, unemployment and house repossessions are rising, while loan approvals, business investment and tax receipts are still going down. The Government will never break out of this cycle. Unless jobs and an economic stimulus are a central issue at the Cabinet table, it cannot happen. If the Government continues to cut people's pay and withdraw public investment, it will never address the problem.

The Government has skirted the issue for too long. A central core of the failure of the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government relates to economic stimulus and jobs. The Taoiseach came in here this morning making smart comments.

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