Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Two items of legislation were promised but I will not ask about the first because the legislation for the strategic investment bank is not included in the Government legislation programme and I am not sure it will ever happen. The strategic investment fund was announced in August 2011, over a year and a half ago. To set up the strategic investment fund, we need legislation. Legislation has been promised and it appears as No. 87 on the Government legislation programme, Bills which have yet to be approved by the Government. The fund is the forerunner to the strategic investment bank, which is a major plank of the Tánaiste's election campaign. It is about tackling mass unemployment and mass emigration from the State. A year and a half later, it is appropriate to ask when we will see the legislation and when we will be able to see directed investment, as a result of the legislation, from the National Pensions Reserve Fund to the real economy. While we can do little bits in the meantime, the legislation is required. Will it be dealt with in this session or this year?

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