Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

In a press release yesterday on the legislative programme the Chief Whip indicated that tackling the jobs crisis was the top priority of the Government. If that is the case, is there an indicative figure in the jobs budget for the number of jobs that will be created? Does the Government have such an figure and what will the cost be? Why is there no indication of a supplementary budget in the material circulated yesterday?

The question of political donations was also referred to in the introduction to the legislative programme. I understand the outgoing Government had a Bill ready to deal with corporate donations. To what extent will the Government's legislation vary from that Bill? Specifically, can the Tánaiste clear up the confusion as to whether corporate donations from trade unions will be covered in the legislation? This is an important question if we are talking about transparency in public life and removing sources of influence in politics which are corporate in character. There seems to be confusion about whether the Bill will cover donations from trade unions. The Tánaiste should be in a position to clear up the issue and make good his claim to represent change in the House.

This morning the Chief Whip referred to the recommendations made in the Moriarty tribunal report and said the Government would take action on them immediately. I do not see any of the recommendations included in the legislative programme. Will the Tánaiste indicate the Government's timescale for implementing the Moriarty tribunal report?

With regard to constitutional change, the public finds it breathtaking, in its cynicism, that in Seanad Éireann we will have, as in this House, a huge majority of Fine Gael and Labour Party Senators opposed by a tiny number of Fianna Fáil, Independent and Sinn Féin Senators. In these circumstances, does the Government propose that the Seanad should run its full course?

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