John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Despite what we heard from earlier speakers, I support and welcome the constant efforts of the Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach and all Ministers to protect the most vulnerable and to support those industries such as tourism and agriculture which have the possibility of taking this country out of the economic straitjacket in which it finds itself. There is also an onus on the Government to be fair, which has been difficult with the choices that have to be made to sort out the economic mess it was left.

I welcome the change to the universal social charge, USC, which has taken 330,000 low-income workers out if it. Last night Fianna Fáil Members said this would make a saving of only €4 or €5 a week for these workers. That is €4 or €5 the previous Fianna Fáil Government took out of their pockets last year.

Farming is one of the good news stories in the economy. I welcome the initiatives by the Minister for Finance to remove some of the obstacles to young farmers taking over family farms. These will line up seamlessly with some of the key proposals in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to increase supports for small farmers. It is also falls in line with giving a hope of a future in farming to those attending agricultural colleges, many of which are bursting at the seams with students.

I also welcome all jobs created in recent weeks by multinational companies, small businesses and from other efforts such as the 6,000 new jobs created in tourism by the lowering of VAT and the introduction of other tourism promotion measures last June. Today at a briefing by Ireland West Airport Knock chief executive, Joe Gilmore, and chairman, Liam Scollan, I was uplifted to hear the airport had its busiest year yet in 2011, with 715,000 passengers passing through it in contrast to many other airports which are suffering contraction. Ireland West Airport Knock provides 171 direct jobs while supporting another 1,000 jobs. The airport has the dream, as well as the potential, to get passenger figures over the million mark. It is looking for support from the Government to have a transport plan that will look ten years ahead so it can plan in a structured way to deliver on that and provide more jobs, not just in Mayo but in the north west.

All Members are aware of the focus this budget has brought on difficult decisions concerning rural schools, community employment schemes and other areas which are affecting front line services. I thank Ministers who have engaged with us to minimise these effects. I am sorry to see no Sinn Féin Members are present in the Chamber. I agree with many of the points they have made recently with regard to the difficulties and changes facing small schools in these difficult times.

However, I cannot square that with the actions of the Sinn Féin Education Minister in Northern Ireland who last Monday closed 28 post-primary schools there. The only Catholic post-primary school in Portadown, Drumcree College, will be one of those closed. A family member involved in the school informed me serious efforts were made by school representatives to meet the Education Minister but he refused to meet them. I find it difficult that Sinn Féin preaches to us down here but practices something else when in power. Of course, it will probably whip it up that the British Government decides on the moneys available for schools in the North. However, as was said earlier, Sinn Féin has choices within its education budget to limit these closures. Those schools closed down last Monday would welcome some of our Government's measures for rural schools which Sinn Féin Members are decrying.

Let no one doubt that I will continue to fight for rural schools all the way to minimise the budgetary effects on them. I was educated in a one-teacher rural school and it started me off well in life. I do not like, however, the hypocrisy I see from some on the benches opposite in this regard.

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