Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday was a landmark in Ireland's recovery for two reasons. First, the rate of unemployment fell below 9% for the first time since those dark and difficult days that Fianna Fáil led us to in December 2008. In all honesty, people would be very foolish to take Fianna Fáil at its word now.

There is nothing about significant improvements in social welfare in Fianna Fáil's pre-budget statement. Perhaps Deputy Michael McGrath did not accept any of Deputy O'Dea's proposals and he is airing them now because he could not get Fianna Fáil to agree to them. The package proposed by Fianna Fáil was roughly half of the social welfare package the Labour Party introduced. The package put forward by this Government was based on talking to people. They wanted the Christmas bonus restored, and a sum of just under €200 million was allocated for that.

There are now almost 2 million people at work. Fianna Fáil can scoff at people going back to work, but that is not the Fianna Fáil of Seán Lemass. He drilled into the Fianna Fáil members of his day that getting and keeping work was probably the most important thing that could happen in a family's life. Each extra job represents an individual back in work and a family with more money on the kitchen table to spend. It means arriving at a better place. Deputy O'Dea can choose to scoff.

The Deputy spoke about the quality of the jobs. He will be aware that yesterday the Government launched its schools programme. The Deputy's colleague from Limerick, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, set out a programme for the investment of €2.6 billion in our schools. That involves the building or re-building of 310 primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. Happily, Limerick got a very fair mention in that large allocation. Deputy O'Dea can choose to scoff at extra educational resources for Limerick, but it is very narrow-minded to do that. He should be happy that many children will have a good, dry, warm school to attend, in which they can get a good education and move on, under Deputy Jan O'Sullivan's tenure as Minister for Education and Skills, to getting either a college place, which is the option chosen by many, or to an apprenticeship or traineeship. Next year, there will be more than 6,000 apprenticeships available. I know many of the areas of Limerick that are represented by Deputy O'Dea. Many a mother and father will be delighted to see their young son or daughter getting an apprenticeship, getting back to work and getting an opportunity to secure financial independence for themselves and for their families when they have children.

Yesterday was a landmark day, with unemployment falling below 9% and nearly 2 million people at work. Another 17,000 people at work will bring the figure for the number of people at work in this country to 2 million, which will happen over the next couple of months. The detailed information from the CSO shows that the people at work are almost all in full-time employment. With regard to wages and conditions, this Government has introduced, for the first time after a long period, enhancements and protections for workers to provide for improved terms and conditions. We reversed Fianna Fáil's miserable cut of €1 per hour in the minimum wage. I do not know if Deputy O'Dea was at the Cabinet table when that decision was made-----

See this speech in context