Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking as an Independent Deputy. These guys have the top advisers when it comes to financial matters and I wish the Government would employ people who could similarly advise the 96,474 with mortgages in arrears for more than 90 days or the 1,014 who face repossessions. We need to do something about the 16.9% of mortgage accounts in arrears. The Government regularly rants about jobs, but when Independent Deputies brought forward proposals to develop and support the local post office network, it adopted a dismissive attitude. We are trying to protect 3,000 jobs in the post office service. The position is similar in the reform of medical and GP services. The Minister for Health needs to sit down with the IMO to negotiate. The main issues for me are job creation and the economy; health, disability and housing; education; developing the peace process on this island; and a common-sense foreign policy that protects Ireland's interests and is always independent.

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