Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Nobody is asking the Minister to throw families on the scrap heap. In regard to his comment that what we are talking about is people's lives, according to a report by the European Environmental Bureau, alongside others, the delay in dealing with the problems of air pollution at Moneypoint is having a direct impact on the health of asthmatic children and results in scores of premature deaths. If the Minister believes that the only employment this Government can provide in the midlands is in the area of peat burning then we need a change of Government. There are many other ways to create jobs. When will this Government start investing in indigenous industry? I was approached recently by a number of young people who were trying to start up a business in Ireland. There is little support provided for start-up business in this country, except in the case of multinationals and so on. Young people are not being helped to start businesses. I do not need a lecture from the Minister on energy. His argument is that as long as there are jobs involved we are not going to deal with the environmental impact of this industry. None of us wants to see people unemployed. For the life of me I do not understand the attitude to employment in Ireland. We are totally dependent on foreign direct investment, the companies involved in which appear to locate wherever they want. We would probably not be able to get them to locate in the midlands. When will this Government start investing in young people trying to start up businesses in Ireland?

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