Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

On a point of clarification, I am not turning the Department of the Taoiseach into a Cabinet secretariat. It will operate as a Cabinet secretariat, but it retains its functions and constitutional position. However, it is important as a driver for implementing Government policy by co-ordination through the Cabinet sub-committee system and with all Ministers, whom I meet on a regular basis.

The jobs initiative was focused on by the Government without background material because providing jobs at a time when there is an unemployment rate of more than 14% has to be a priority for any Government. It is not a case of having a certain number of boxes filled with background material on jobs initiatives. Any politician, any public representative, can provide ideas which are backed up by information from the relevant sectors on how jobs might be created. In order to pay for the creation of these jobs, the Deputy will be aware that the Government imposed a four year levy on the pensions industry which will kick in from 1 July. I hope the thousands of jobs involved in upskilling and retraining and the schools and roads maintenance programmes, as well as those generated in the tourism and hospitality sectors will bring about a restoration of confidence in the short term.

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