Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I might point out that, for instance, there has been no increase in income tax like the Deputy mentioned. There have been 16,000 new start-ups of individual businesses in the past 12 months. We have halted the rot of losing 7,500 jobs per month for three years to a point where 2,000 jobs are now being created every month. Today, the Deputy will have heard the news about Symantec announcing 400 new jobs, 200 this year and 200 more over the next two years. Last week, we had the privilege of breaking ground with Kerry Group on a €100 million investment in Naas. We have had the major investment by Glanbia on the Kilkenny-Waterford border, with up to 1,500 jobs across the Deputy's constituency and right up as far as County Louth. We have had the progress made by the finance Ministers in respect of our European colleagues and the progress made in regard to the Presidency about the approach towards banking union, a single supervisory mechanism and so on. We have had inclusions in the last budget, particularly in regard to small and medium enterprises, of opportunities for new access to credit. I note statements from banks saying they are now lending more than previously. They are required to lend because of targets set by the Central Bank and so on.

I do not accept the Deputy's long litany of issues that he raised. I met the people from the Stardust tragedy on many occasions in the past and the question of the late Fr. Molloy was raised in the House on a number of occasions, but these are issues the Deputy has raised before. He can raise them by way of Topical Issue or parliamentary question. His rant is rhetorical.

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