Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

——it is difficult to quantify. These are matters that are important and should be discussed here. Will the Taoiseach instruct his Whip to provide an opportunity for a proper discussion in the House on the document he launched yesterday?

The Forfás report published last week indicated clearly that if jobs are to be created and we are to have economic renewal, we need new investment in key economic areas such as broadband, water and electricity. The point was also made that tackling the cost of services provided or regulated by the Government needs to be faced with courage and decisiveness, telecommunications and waste need to be dealt with and, critically, credit needs to flow to business. Yesterday, I spoke to somebody who lost a job in one of nine shops that closed. Wholesalers cannot collect money from retailers because retailers cannot collect money from those who buy. Was the economic renewal committee given targets to aspire to with regard to seeing jobs created by the agencies? Is it overseeing and driving economic renewal and the implementation of policy that co-ordinates Government job creation targets in broadband and in the smart economy document produced by the innovation task force?

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