Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the start of this Government's term of office, we faced one of the biggest employment crises in the history of this State and yet, at this point in the Government's term in office, we have record employment, higher than at the beginning of the pandemic and across every region of the country. Our fantastic team in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with regard to public servants and agencies, and our local enterprise agencies, LEOs, have worked incredibly hard with our enterprise community, to ensure that job security and success. By their sacrifice and work, we have the ability with their revenues, to invest in public service in a way we have not been able to do before. The Government's policies for enterprise have ensured that we have got our enterprise community through the challenges of Brexit, the pandemic, Ukraine and its impact, and allowed its creativity to be supported and flourish.

That is the same kind of focus that is going into the Housing for All plan of our colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, which delivered on 30,000 houses and the highest number of social houses in 2022 in 40 years. It demonstrates the momentum and pace of progress. The plan is costed and realistic. It is not slogans or shouting down. Tá sé tábhachtach. Tá an Rialtas seo ag obair. Tá na figiúirí ann, is iad sin, na figiúirí fostaíochta agus tithíochta agus léiríonn siad go bhfuil an plean ag obair. Níl plean ag an bhFreasúra. Níl sé in ann aontú le chéile ar phlean. Tá sé tábhachtach go leanann an Rialtas seo ar aghaidh leis an obair thábhachtach atá á déanamh againn agus leis an obair atá ag obair, mar gheall ar na figiúirí.

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