Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Can the Minister of State confirm that the most recent quarterly figures showed an increase in unemployment and emigration? While I acknowledge the positive announcements made by various companies which are willing, despite everything, to invest in Ireland, I ask whether job creation is outweighed by the scale of job losses. Negative stories of job losses include Game, Vita Cortex, Aviva, Bank of America, MBNA, AIB, Ulster Bank, TalkTalk and, possibly, Eircom. Does the Minister of State agree that if one adds the 70,000 to 80,000 Irish citizens who supposedly took the lifestyle choice of emigration to the live register figures, the scale of the problem becomes much bigger? The level of unemployment has increased substantially since the Government took office.

Can the Minister of State acknowledge or confirm that Ireland is once again officially in recession?

See this speech in context