Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Cabinet met this morning and it signed off on the capital programme for the next few years. Deputy Adams's name was not mentioned at Cabinet in any shape or form. It was not a Cabinet meeting about abandoning projects but dealt with the building of projects and the provision of a very substantial programme of initiatives to create work and provide infrastructure facilities that are very important for the country. The Deputy ranges on about the subordinated bondholders and the €5 billion left in the National Pensions Reserve Fund. I am completely unhappy with the scale of unemployment in the country and that is the reason the Government has taken the view that we should not tax work or employment, where it can be helped. The programme for Government sets out several initiatives to allow people to be taken off the dole, to reward people for taking the initiative and for creating job opportunities, so that people can have dignity, a life, a career and an opportunity to contribute to their local areas and to their country. That is where the Government is putting the emphasis after it meets the conditions to which it had to sign up to in respect of the reduction to 8.6%. The capital programme will be announced in detail on Thursday and then Members will have an opportunity to comment in the knowledge that they have all the facts, on the opportunities that will present to create and build the infrastructure over the coming years.

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