Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)

There is an air of despair among our young people. They are highly educated, highly skilled, yet with no prospect of gainful employment. Unemployment creates many issues, not least of which is the low morale of those who are unemployed. It also creates many health and family issues. The list goes on and on. As legislators, we have a duty to ensure that no measures we enact will impair the prospects of employment.

We have a duty to put in place measures that will enable people to gain employment. We also have a duty to employers, be they large multinationals or indigenous companies, to put in place measures that will in no way restrict their ability to employ people.

We must at all times try to introduce legislation that will create an environment that allows employers to create employment. We must consider ways to reduce the hidden costs of employing people. The employers' PRSI contribution is one element in which we can make changes. Health and safety training, be it mandatory or specific training, creates another cost. Could this training be provided by FÁS or other agencies? We can talk in the Chamber until the cows come home. Unless we act to create an environment that does not restrict or apply prohibitive costs to the recruitment of new staff, all of our talk is only hot air.

This morning, an example of an employer being prevented from retaining jobs was brought to my attention. To date, if a person running a small business wanted to send a circular advertising his or her business in the locality, he or she could target 1,000 or 2,000 people. An Post has changed its policy on this type of leaflet drop. Instead of being able to concentrate on a certain area, the Caherciveen employer in my example must now cover most of south County Kerry in his leaflet drop.

Instead of helping business people and encouraging them to remain in business, HSE inspectors are going around closing them down. I blame the people who send out the inspectors rather than the inspectors themselves.

I respect the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, for being in attendance and thank him for his work on our behalf since taking up his position. I wish him well for the future.

See this speech in context