Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)

Everything seems to be turning the corner and going ahead, but the problem is growing. Allied to that, as has been mentioned, approximately 200 people per day are leaving the country. If one takes the statistics for the number of people who were employed in this economy from the time the Minister's party left office in 1997 to when it returned to office last year, a total of 325,000 more people were at work in the Irish economy. However, that is history. If the Minister wishes to have a discussion on history, I will happily engage in it but I am interested in the present and the future.

Can I draw the Minister's attention to a recent statement by the Taoiseach? In that statement he gave a commitment that over the next three years, which is probably the lifetime of this Government given that the average term would bring it to three years from now, he will have put 75,000 people who are now long-term unemployed back to work. Where stands that promise? Does the Minister still stand over that promise?

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