Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

NAMA has announced a reinvestment programme in its properties of €2 billion, the object of which is to provide 35,000 jobs in the construction industry. That is the start of an investment programme which will be overseen by the Government. In this case it is an investment by NAMA, which will be followed through by the work that the Minister, Deputy Howlin, and the Minister, Deputy Noonan, have been doing to bring forward a package of proposals to re-stimulate the economy. On top of that, we have the plans and proposals which are being developed at a European level, all of which will help to provide employment, investment in this country and get people back to work. That is what it is all about. It is about firm proposals and firm activity to provide employment. The announcement made by NAMA yesterday of €2 billion is aimed at providing 35,000 jobs in the construction industry, a sector of the economy that was most severely hit by the recession.

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