Francis O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I support Senators Reilly, Harris and Ó Murchú who asked for time to be allocated to discuss the serious issue of unemployment. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the House for a wide-ranging debate on employment, unemployment and the projects within her remit? That debate would be worthwhile and timely because, as each of us knows, young couples cannot sleep in their beds because one or both have lost their jobs. They have young families and huge mortgages that they may have taken out three to five years ago. I am not sure the announcement by the banks this morning goes far enough. The Minister for Finance must reassure the House and the public that the banks will take a considered view of, or a sympathetic approach to, these young couples, whether by adding to their mortgages or otherwise. Interest should not pile up in the two years that they are short of employment. That is a serious issue among several others in the banking circle. The people in question are losing their jobs because the banks will not give small and medium-sized businesses a little money to keep them going. There are many businesses which do not want to lay people off, as each of us knows firsthand, but they have no alternative. They are laying them off because they cannot survive. The banks are too rigid and are not lending money to these businesses.