Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is typical of the Government that the Tánaiste comes into the House and tries to take credit for every positive event over the past number of years. The Tánaiste has ignored the favourable international conditions from which the Government benefitted, the sacrifices made by men and women over the past number of years and the business people who are creating employment the length and breadth of this country with little help from the Government. We are still waiting for the Government to take corrective action on the issue of commercial rates, which has faced businesses in recent years. The Tánaiste chose to ignore the issues I raised about post offices, bank closures and the strike at Bus Éireann. It is not funny. It is not funny for the people in rural Ireland who rely on these services day in, day out.

I ask the Tánaiste a specific question about an EU stabilisation fund. Will Ireland be able to benefit from that? Will the agrifood sector, which generates tens of thousands of jobs but will be detrimentally affected by Brexit, be able to apply for that funding in the not too distant future?

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