Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The function of Cabinet sub-committees is to focus on issues and matters of importance to particular sectors. The sectors covered by the Cabinet sub-committees are relevant to everyday life in order that the committees will have an opportunity to focus and concentrate on particular areas of importance and make decisions on them to be referred back to the Cabinet for final approval. Of course, the position on unemployment is completely unacceptable and the problem will not be dealt with by a specific jobs initiative on its own. It has to be dealt with by cutting Government costs, becoming more competitive, allowing for the opportunity for businesses to flourish, removing obstacles to business and employment potential, continuing to send out a message internationally that Ireland's reputation should be revised upwards and that there is an opportunity for a continued foreign direct investment and demonstrating that we have a young and flexible workforce capable of meeting whatever challenge of change is coming down the line.

This is how major unemployment will be dealt with. Central to that until now has been a lack of confidence in our indigenous economy and a lack of credit available for small businesses to expand and change action. That is why the Government decision on dealing with six dysfunctional banks and deleveraging the two pillar banks, Bank of Ireland and AIB, will result in approximately €10 billion in credit being available each year for the next three years.

Through the economic management council I will require that banks demonstrate what new lending and credit they have available for business in order that people can be gainfully employed and employers can get on their business of doing what they do best, which is exporting, manufacturing and employing people.

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