Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I welcome the jobs initiative announced yesterday. This is the first step in getting Ireland back to work. It is not a grandiose press release but an honest effort to give hope and confidence to employers and the 430,000 people unemployed.

Many TDs spoke in this Chamber last week about the incidence of suicide and the effects of the downturn of the economy on people who are unemployed. I am aware of a number of high profile and not so high profile people who have taken their lives because of the prospect of unemployment. It is incumbent on a Government and on all elected representatives to give hope to our people. We cannot have our people drowning in negativity.

As an elected representative for Dún Laoghaire, I welcome the injection of cash into the tourism sector. We in Dún Laoghaire are working to the best of our abilities to entice people to our county and the business people and the community have come together to ensure that tourists come.

As a former school principal, I welcome the extra €30 million for the summer works programme. Many school buildings throughout the country are in a dire condition and that is unacceptable in 2011. I am aware that much more work needs to be done in our schools for our children to get the best education in a modern and secure environment. Many people contacted me during the past 24 hours to say they are delighted and happy that they will have an opportunity to upskill, retrain and undertake internships.

It is very easy to sit on the fence and be critical and cynical. I ask all Members of this House to come together and engage, and if Deputies and members of the public have good ideas to create jobs, to let the Ministers know. It is important that we work together to get Ireland back to work again.

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