Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom tacaíocht a thabhairt don rún seo ar Ghnó Comhaltaí Príobháideacha. Tá sé tábhachtach dul i gcoinne aon iarracht socmhainní an Stáit a dhíol le fiontar príobháideach. Tá an-seans ann go mbeidh daoine dífhostaithe agus go mbeidh na scuainí dóil níos faide mar gheall ar an bplean seo.

Once again we have been fed a line by this Government about what big problem is facing the Irish people. So far it has been regional hospitals, children with special needs, smalls schools, disadvantaged schools, third level students and people in training. The Government has repeatedly failed to address the biggest issue staring us in the face every day - that we have a jobless economy, we are losing our youngest and most talented people to emigration every day and, worst of all, we are doing nothing about it.

Today we have a new scapegoat - the State assets and enterprises which provide vital services of strategic importance to the economy and its ability to operate. They want to have a fire sale, or maybe a closing-down sale would be more appropriate, because it seems the Government has given up on creating jobs and is now intent on putting more people on the dole queue.

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