Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

We must have a debate on the Government's jobs creation policy, its vision for creating indigenous employment and how best we can get people off the unemployment register and back to work. Yesterday was the first occasion since her appointment that the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment came to the House.

Will the Leader agree to a debate on the broad issue of politics and democracy? For many people today, politicians are the lowest form of life in our society. This inaccurate perception is a consequence of bad decisions on the part of the Government and of its failure to implement the changes it promised to deliver. I will not name those concerned but at least seven people, including former RTE employees, former Independent Network News journalists and former political correspondents, are employed by the Government as spin doctors. We on this side of the House have never complained about these appointments - I will not name them out of respect for the Chair. The comments yesterday regarding Mr. Lee were disingenuous and scurrilous.