Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

Anybody in the jobs market or the wider economy might be wondering what goes on in here and would scratch their heads with incredulity. I have great sympathy for the Ceann Comhairle and the officials. It is unreal.

This Finance Bill relates to the first budget in its entirety from this Government and I am pleased that the main priority has been job creation. I welcome the launch of the action plan for jobs earlier this week and I am particularly pleased with the joined up thinking that will reduce the bureaucracy that business throughout the country must encounter and deal with on a daily basis. We must work with these small businesses to ensure their survival so they can grow and rebuild our country. It is from those micro-businesses that the recovery will come. Many business owners work up to 100 hours per week trying to survive, keep the business viable and provide staff with jobs. We must reward hard work and everybody who gets up in the morning to work will be giving assistance to those out of work in this regard. I welcome measures to assist jobseekers in gaining suitable employment and training. It is essential to give our people the dignity of having a job and bringing a wage home each week to provide for themselves, their families and to help with their communities.

I note that the public is becoming very intolerant of those who target social welfare benefits and do not wish to contribute to society by working for a reward. These are a minority of people but it is a regrettable fact of life that some people seek to maximise those benefits through different methods. The days of achieving or targeting a life on social welfare should come to an end. That is not to take away from the thousands of genuine social welfare recipients who are unable to find work or receive payments under the many schemes in the Department of Social Protection. The public must know that its money funds such efforts, and like those who make false insurance claims, those who target a social welfare lifestyle are taking from the public's pocket.

Up to this point today there is a website that has advertised up to 50 jobs throughout this country of all levels and scales, so there are jobs out there. There is a big disconnect between those receiving welfare and getting training and those who are on the next step. Jobs will not fall into people's lap so they must seek them out. My constituency of Cork South-West is largely dependent on agriculture, tourism and fishing, where the work is hard and rewards are well earned. It is initiative that keeps those communities going, and such efforts must be supported by this Finance Bill. I strongly recommend the measures in this Bill, including those to stimulate the recovery of the property sector and stamp duty measures in the agricultural sector. These are strong initiatives and I support the Finance Bill in that regard.

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