Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I was interested in the proposals that were put forward jointly by IBEC and the ICTU and the Construction Industry Council yesterday , which are aimed at getting back to work the 140,000 building workers who have lost their jobs over the past two years. The package of proposals that was put forward jointly by the bodies yesterday amounts to €5.5 billion per annum in infrastructure works. The sum of €22 billion would keep that package going, with all of the jobs that would be provided, for four years . The sum of €22 billion would build the metro, the 400 schools on the list of the Department of Education and Skills and the hospitals. Moreover, there would be money left over to do a lot more than that. The sum of €22 billion is the amount of taxpayers' money the Government has put in to Anglo Irish Bank. As Deputy Kenny has pointed out to the Taoiseach, the chief executive of the bank stated last week that the lion's share of the €22 billion will never be seen again. Members could go on all evening arguing about whose banking strategy and policy on banks is right and whose is wrong but they should stick with this single fact. Is the chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank right or wrong? Is it the case that the lion's share of the money will, as he put it, "never be seen again"? Is the money gone?

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