Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I drive around the country and see the lack of infrastructure in certain places. People always blame their local Deputy or Senator when their part of the country is not doing well.

I wish to address the topics of the cervical cancer screening programme, child care, pensions, manufacturing industries and the care of the elderly but I will first refer to Senator Quinn's remarks. There is much truth in what he said about the growth in employment. There is effectively no unemployment in Ireland at present. Seeing all the cranes in the skyline every day, the realisation that there has been a significant increase in jobs in the construction sector is a no-brainer. That is good for the moment but it will not help to sustain the economy in the long run.

The scare about the multinationals is perennial with governments. Each United States Administration always threatens pulling back and not allowing industry invest overseas, but it always seems to pass away. I hope the article in The New York Times last week will also fade away.

As I have stated previously, there is an urgent need for a debate on employment in the Seanad. Urgent measures are needed. We have spoken about the decline in certain industries around the country and the black spots. In fact, 30,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost over the past four years. It is Government's job, not to run the individual factories or micro-manage, but to ensure the overall infrastructure is correct. One of the areas is a major reinvestment programme.

What is Senator Brian Hayes at?