Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Finance Bill this evening. I was in Ashbourne last week calling to some houses and I spoke to a man and his son about where we are as a country. He told me he was tired of hearing constant negativity from some quarters of society and that he wanted a positive narrative about the country. I agree with this and believe we can look forward and be optimistic that as a country we are moving in the right direction. There are positive signs.

We are on track to get our deficit below 3% of GDP by 2015 and the GDP increased by 0.7% in 2011 compared to the first three quarters of 2010. Our exports are growing very strongly and our tourism figures are constantly increasing. This week has been very positive for job creation in Ireland, as we have launched our action plan for jobs. That multiannual plan is a firm commitment from the Government to create a renewed environment for enterprise in the country. It is not a typical Government plan and each of the 270 different measures contained in it has an identifiable agency or Department which is responsible for overseeing it within a given timescale. There will be quarterly reviews led by the Taoiseach's Department to ensure these measures are being implemented and working. If a measure is not working, we will be able to review it, work out why it is not working and try to put it right. This morning's announcement that the memorandum of understanding is to be renegotiated is positive news. Since the Government came into office almost a year ago, we have consistently argued with the troika that money from the sale of non-core State assets should be used not just for debt repayment but also for other things, such as investment in job creation. I am glad that argument has been listened to. I understand that in the coming weeks, the Minister, Deputy Howlin, will present proposals to his Cabinet colleagues on how some of this money can be invested to generate jobs.

The Finance Bill 2012 is another example of the Government's focus on job creation. The measures in the Bill are designed to support investment, allow for more research and help to create more jobs. This Bill is part of the wider Government strategy on job creation. I particularly welcome the Minister's focus on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which are known as the BRICS countries. I have spoken previously in the House about the potential of the Irish exporters to expand into these countries, which represent 40% of the world's population and 15% of the global economy. The discretionary spending of the growing middle classes in those countries is increasing as their economies develop. China has more than 30 cities with a population of over 1 million. We have very little presence in many huge markets there. I have visited cities like Wuhan and Guangzhou, each of which has a population greater than the whole of Ireland. Very few Irish goods are on sale in those cities, which have seen little penetration by Irish firms.

Millions of citizens, from Moscow to Mumbai and from Sao Paulo to St. Petersburg, have money that could be spent on Irish goods or in Irish towns. We need to get into these markets. The legislation before the House contains measures that will help Irish firms to do so. Employees of Irish companies who spend a minimum of 60 days in any of the BRICS countries will get tax breaks. Irish employees will be able to work with the embassies and consulates in these countries to further their knowledge of local economies and find businesses who are interested in dealing with them. We should not forget that last year, the Tánaiste called all of our ambassadors to a meeting to discuss how they could help to generate investment and trade opportunities for Irish companies. This is another example of the joined-up thinking at the heart of the Government.

We are committed to trying to improve the level of job creation and increase the number of jobs in this country. It is important that we keep an eye on this programme. If what we are doing with regard to employees in the BRICS countries works out, we should think about expanding it to other countries to ensure we can gain as much trade and investment as possible from those countries. This has been a positive week for job creation in Ireland. All Government Deputies and Departments are working together to create jobs and get people back to work. This Bill is another example of that work.

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