Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister knows that if the Government is not happy with the programme it inherited, it is free to renegotiate elements of it each quarter. It has the ability to do that and it has done it in certain cases. The Minister cannot hitch it onto the old Government. This Government has the flexibility to renegotiate any aspect of the programme that it does not like. The Minister and his colleagues have been in government for two years at this stage. The Government is approaching its second budget. It can continue to blame history as long as it likes. Believe it or not, people are more interested in the jobs they are looking for and the budget that is coming up than in going on about what happened in previous years. I ask the Minister not to continue this cover-up job when he is making his remarks in future. I asked how many jobs will be created in 2012. I want an answer. I know the answer is "zero". How many jobs will be created in 2013? The Minister has failed to answer that question here today. I want to hear the answer, if there is one.

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