Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I apologise to Deputy Boyd Barrett. Last year, the value of food exports was of the order of €8 billion. By 2020, this figure will have risen to over €12 billion and that will have enormous implications. The Deputy stated that we are betting our entire economic future on inward investment. That is not the case. The export sector has been running very well for 20 months in a row and we want to develop that.

I agree with the Deputy's comments on the development of indigenous industry. The Minister for Finance will be coming before the House in early May to announce our jobs initiative, which will deal with the indigenous sector. Tourism is one outstanding area of indigenous development. That flies in the face of what the Deputy was talking about in his earlier question about the visits of two heads of state. These visits will have enormous potential for the development of that indigenous industry. Does the Deputy not realise the number of British people who will want to travel to this country following the visit of their Queen to Ireland? Does he not realise the power of that visit and its impact on the development of one of the indigenous industries about which the Deputy spoke?

Our jobs initiative is focused entirely on that. I hope the Deputy will support it when it is debated in the House and ensure that people in the constituency of Dún Laoghaire have the opportunity to get up in the morning and have the dignity of being able to go to work and contribute to the well-being of our country and society.

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