Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I commend Fine Gael and Deputy Bruton for tabling this motion. To the minds of everyone looking at this House recently, and particularly yesterday and today, the biggest issue is jobs. Some 100,000 people have left this country, which is shameful, and 450,000 people are on the live register. There is nothing the vast majority of the people concerned crave more than a job. The one fear in every household in Ireland is the lack of a job for a family member. The fact that 100,000 young people have left our shores to go to Australia, America, Canada, mainland Europe or elsewhere in search of a job is a shame on this Government.

To give any reason for it happening is simply inexcusable. In the time I have been in this House, in every budget debate Deputy Richard Bruton has stood up and pointed out to the then Minister, the Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, and the current Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan, that there was a major bubble and problem in the country. The Government benches laughed at every proposal. They did not agree with Deputy Bruton. They condemned what he said as talking our economy down. The truth of the matter is that he was right and ultimately the 100,000 people who have left our shores and the 450,000 people who are signing on are the people paying the price for the fact that the Government did not listen to Deputy Bruton.

We can talk about every television programme or radio station, but the buck stops in Leinster House. We were warned by Deputy Bruton about what should not happen. The fact is that this Government is not serious about job creation. A significant number of small businesses are ready and willing to take a chance at expansion but the reason they cannot do so is because they are hampered by Government charges and credit facilities from our banks. While we recapitalise and fund the banks, the reality is that we are not forcing the financial institutions to allow credit to flow to small businesses. We can talk about creating 300,000 jobs in press releases, but the fact is that unless the banks free up capital to those people, no jobs will be created.

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