Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister and his two Ministers of State every success over the next six months during the Presidency. The Department has ambitious targets and a significant work programme. On behalf of everyone, I wish them well.

I tabled a parliamentary question to every Minister earlier this month to ascertain what they had delivered under Action Plan for Jobs and, more important, how many jobs were created and their job creation targets. The only impact worth measuring in such a plan is job creation. It is a bit like the Andrex puppy of action plans. It is nice and fluffy and the replies I received had little to do with what it is about. Every Department replied with vague aspirations and achievements but none outlined job creation targets and, therefore, I had nothing against which to measure their performance. I have a sense that it has been left to the Minister co-ordinate the entire plan, even though the Taoiseach every so often wakes up and convenes a special meeting. Every Department throws in the kitchen sink in the context of aspirations. How many Departments have specific job targets? Will the Minister give an assistant secretary in the Department responsibility to ensure the implementation of the action plan and to work with the Taoiseach's Department to ensure no Minister can hide behind these vague aspirations?

Last April, the Minister forecast that the numbers at work would increase by 67,000 between 2011 and 2015, yet in the medium-term financial statement published in November, he lowered that forecast to 18,000. That is the ultimate measure of Action Plan for Jobs. Our export sector is flying and we owe a huge debt to the IDA and Enterprise Ireland which are doing a superb job, but the difficulty is in the domestic economy in which we are not experiencing any improvement. What resources is the Minister putting in to ensure Departments deliver?

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