Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have introduced a micro-finance agency for very small operators and a partial loan credit guarantee. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced a €2.5 billion stimulus fund last year for a range of infrastructure, such as the facilities at Grangegorman, some road developments, schools, primary care centres, legal buildings and so on. The Government this morning decided to establish NewERA on a statutory basis, allowing the transfer of the National Pensions Reserve Fund facilities and providing an opportunity for the Government to discuss how best to create employment.

We had a specific Cabinet meeting on jobs and 17 particular actions were identified at it that will make an impact on the live register quickly. We will follow those through assiduously and promptly.

We all want to see opportunities for people to have employment. The challenge for this Oireachtas and this Government is to deal with a restoration of confidence in our indigenous economy. The international economy is growing strongly, exports are thriving and the corporate tax rate is stable and being retained at 12.5%. The IDA will have its best year in over a decade this year. The challenge for us all is to be creative and imaginative in the way we can impact on the creation of jobs all over the country in the context of developing the local economy. That is why the Government continues to make a range of opportunities available for access to credit for small and medium enterprises and for opportunities like the JobBridge scheme and the VAT reduction, so people can have that opportunity to get out to work and contribute in their own personal lives and the local economy. Clearly the other element of that is the insolvency agency coming on board to deal with those in mortgage distress to allow them to contribute to their local economy.

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