Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak. Fine Gael is and always has been the party for small business persons and the self-employed. We are a pro-enterprise party and the facts fully support this. Over 90,000 new jobs have been created as a result of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012.

Every region has seen an increase. In my constituency of Louth and east Meath, unemployment has fallen by over 20% since March 2011. Indeed, in areas such as Ardee, Drogheda and Dundalk, we have seen decreases of up to 29%. In real terms, this means an additional 3,500 people are employed in my constituency since Fine Gael took power in 2011. Over the past two years, companies such as eBay, PayPal, SalesSense and National Pen have created more than 1,100 new jobs in Dundalk, while in Drogheda, companies such as Moorehall Lodge, Outsource Support Services and Becton Dickinson have created more than 130 new jobs.

This is in stark contrast to Fianna Fáil's time in government. Its record of supporting small business in this country is one of neglect and discrimination, which can be seen by the fact that more than 300,000 jobs were lost in the last three years of its time in government. Its attempt now to try to establish a policy on small business is, quite frankly, too little, too late, and the people will see that for themselves. It is nothing but a panicked policy scramble after its total lack of policies has been exposed. During its time in government, Fianna Fáil destroyed the economy by supporting its friends in big business and the construction industry and neglecting the small business person and the self-employed. My party, Fine Gael, is the party that can be trusted to manage our economy and to support the SME sector. SMEs are the cornerstone of the sustainable economy we are now building.

The creation of new jobs has many benefits, including more disposable income for people and increased tax revenue for the Government which can be invested in other services, including our schools, hospitals, local infrastructure and the tourism sector, to name just a few areas. Indeed, if I look at my own county of Louth, we are beginning to reap the benefits of the increased expenditure in the tourism sector. Last year we saw more than 108,000 overseas visitors in the area, generating more than €43 million in revenue for local business. Areas such as Carlingford, Dundalk, Drogheda and the Boyne valley have benefited greatly from this investment. Schools in the area have received more than €57 million in capital funding, regional and local roads have received more than €25 million in investment and sports clubs have received more than €3 million.

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