Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)

In his opening remarks, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, said this jobs plan marked a new approach. I wish it did because job creation is key to the country getting out of the economic quagmire it is in due to its over-reliance on the construction industry while not concentrating on indigenous job creation over the past ten years.

There is nothing new in this plan. It is actually the third big fanfare of a jobs plan we have heard from the Government so far. Last April, it projected up to 102,000 jobs would be created by 2015. That projection was reduced in December by the Department of Finance to 62,000. Now we are told there will be 100,000 new jobs by 2016 with 200,000 by 2020. That is an eight-year wait for 200,000 people to get a job. What about the remaining 250,000 on the live register or those emigrating? This is what we really must contend with.

The Taoiseach claims Ireland is the best small country in which to do business. Who are we competing with – the Cayman Islands, Jersey, the Isle of Man? Is it about incentivising top earners and multimillionaires with low taxes, which is not new anyway? A policy based on austerity, along with an acceptance of a collapse in domestic demand and activity in the domestic economy, coupled with a hope that exports will keep the overall economy's head barely above water, is incompatible with claims the Government's priority is job creation.

With the collapse in domestic demand, a reliance on the private sector is like whistling in the wind. Since 2009, non-financial corporate profits rose by €2.6 billion to €37.8 billion but since 2007, investment has declined by €30 billion. There has been a strike of capital by private industry over this period. Some Members claim this is the opportunity to open this up and give confidence back to the private sector. I am not convinced that will happen. The idea of selling off parts of successful State companies to create a structural development fund of €1 billion is economic vandalism. To quote the Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore, it is economic treason.

The State instead should be used to create new jobs. I do not agree with the Government's position that it is not its responsibility to create jobs but to create the environment to create jobs. When we do not get investment from private industry, as is happening now, it is the Government's role to step into the breach to create jobs in key economic areas which can support long-term investment. State investment in modern industry through State companies must commence using €5.3 billion from the National Pensions Reserve Fund as the investment strike in the private sector continues. There must be no privatisation of our State companies.

Reliance on foreign direct investment incentivised by low corporate tax has failed with up to 100,000 qualified people on the dole and 4,000 postdoctoral researchers in casual employment. This cohort must be enabled to contribute to Ireland rather than to other countries through emigration. State companies such as the ESB, Coillte and An Post could begin to develop advanced modern industry in areas such as offshore wind and other clean energy generation, super fast broadband, food processing, pharmaceuticals, electronic devices etc. Such industries, efficiently run and with an effective corporation tax of 4% to 7%, would give a far greater return to the Irish people than that provided by multinational companies. State-owned industries would not be subject to pull-outs such as with Dell, TalkTalk, Aviva and MBNA.

A Government-sponsored programme of necessary public works would play a significant role in job creation and give confidence back to the country. In addition to the public capital programme, the Government should put in place a programme to ensure not fewer than 150,000 people are taken off the dole and working in three months. Such a programme should be maintained for at least five years.

Examples of key economic areas that such a programme could target includes child care. Up to 30,000 child care workers could be trained and employed to provide high quality public child care in a national child care infrastructure. Unfortunately, however, in the small number of existing community employment schemes that provide child care, there is a concern they will be closed.

Significant adult literacy and numeracy problems have been identified by the OECD as affecting the long-term unemployed. Training and employing 10,000 adult education teachers to provide literacy, numeracy, computer application and language courses to the long-term unemployed with a target of obtaining FETAC level 5 in five years to open the way to third level courses would be another important State programme. There is considerable interest in cloud computing at present. Computer software training and conversion courses could be provided through the institutes of technology for unemployed workers with third level maths qualifications.

The money for these initiatives is available. We have been condemned for failing to indicate where the money can be found but we are ignored when we point out that assets of €219 billion have been proven to be available. If these assets were taxed at a rate of 5%, the State could invest €10 billion in jobs. If they were taxed at 10%, €20 billion could be injected into the economy. We could also increase the tax rate for those earning more than €100,000.

There are grounds for hope but the Government is looking in the wrong direction. If it asked these millionaires to be patriotic by investing in job creation in the Irish economy, we would be in a better situation to bring people back into the workplace over the next five years. Public works programmes would create offshoots in terms of small private industries that could play a key role in giving confidence to workers and putting money into people's pockets and the local economy. The current environment of small businesses and pubs closing and vacant buildings springing up in the heart of our communities is impacting negatively on people's morale. If we get the message into the public domain that the money is available for these programmes we could build hope and confidence among the people.

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