Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy seems to have forgotten that this is the first Government to have appointed a senior Cabinet Minister to deal with children and youth affairs. He conveniently forgets, for instance, that this budget protects the free preschool year for children. He conveniently forgets that the budget introduced an extra 6,500 after-school places for young children so that mothers and fathers will have a better opportunity to balance their home and working lives in such a way as to ensure their children receive the attention they require. It is a case of focusing on the circumstances in which our country finds itself, on what we must do to get our economy back on track and on where jobs can be created. The Deputy can talk until he is blue in the face but our country is going nowhere unless we deal with the question of employment and how we can achieve a reduction in unemployment. That means jobs being created, small and medium enterprises being allowed to flourish, our country's attractiveness as a place for investment from abroad continuing strongly, and the continued capacity of this country to export our goods abroad. That is why, for example, the rebate for hauliers, who have to transport all of the products we produce for export, was included.

This was a budget about the people and our country and central to that, whether the Deputy likes it or not, is that we must prioritise job opportunities and the facilities for work and employment creation. That is the central focus of the budget. I appreciate the difficulties that many hard-pressed families have to contend with. These are the circumstances the Government has to deal with following the legacy left to us. We will deal with it. There are opportunities up ahead but sometimes, as the Deputy knows, tough decisions must be made in the interests of the overall good of our people and our country. I commend the people on their patience in understanding that sometimes these things are necessary.

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