Dáil debates

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

4:00 am

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach can add the €20 billion he put into the banks to all the figures he mentioned. I asked why the €100 million enterprise stabilisation fund was cut by €22 million when it was designed specifically to get employers and businesses that were trading over this economic crisis. In both 2008 and 2009 Deputies Bruton and Varadkar, on behalf of the Fine Gael Party, put forward a series of measures to protect employment, to give incentives to employers and to give encouragement to employees. A number of them related to PRSI. In his Budget Statement last December, the Minister for Finance committed to leaving aside €36 million for a PRSI holiday for employers that take on new employees who have been six months on the dole in full-time jobs, which would give hope, confidence and the opportunity to contribute to our society and our economy to those involved.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs at the time issued a statement that the scheme would be implemented in a few weeks and it set out the conditions that would apply such as no substitute jobs, which I accept, and so on. However, the central issue, about which I am sure the Taoiseach is acutely aware, is the right to have a job. I support this fund because it was proposed initially by the Fine Gael Party in both 2008 and 2009.

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