Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

I am puzzled by the Minister of State's statement in regard to what we are doing about unemployment. I did not find any justification for some of the assertions made in the statement. In bringing forward the budget by six weeks, the Government recognises that further measures will need to be taken to bring further stability to the economy. I do not see where we are going by bringing forward the budget by two months. Are further measures, in addition to those in the budget, to be taken? I do not see anything in the budget which helps the unemployment situation.

We had chronic unemployment in the 1980s. The only way that was resolved was by creating the underlying conditions for a competitive economy, for export-led growth and for a low inflation economy.