Ivor Callely (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "That Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:

commends the Government for implementing policies which aim to support enterprises, protect jobs and stimulate employment creation, including the introduction of:

the employment subsidy scheme which will between 2009 and 2010 invest €135 million in directly or indirectly supporting approximately 80,000 jobs;

the enterprise stabilisation fund that will invest €100 million in supporting viable but vulnerable companies in these difficult economic times.

Acknowledges Government actions in support of activation and training for the unemployed through:

its €1 billion funding for a range of labour force measures which will assist those who have lost their jobs;

the doubling of capacity in job search support services for the unemployed,

the continued increase in the number of training and work experience places for the unemployed, now standing at 147,000 places,

that 30,000 trainees or 36% of those who participated on the FÁS training programmes in 2009 came from the under 25 age group,

the introduction of new initiatives such as the workplace programme which includes special provision for graduate places,

special arrangements to assist 4,000 redundant apprentices progress their apprenticeships,

the provision of 40,000 full-time places in our further education sector,

the 140,000 full-time enrolments in our higher education sector an increase of 4.5% over 2008-09 academic year,

the significant increase in the numbers of back to education allowance recipients, up to over 18,000; and

the introduction of a new €20 million labour market activation fund aimed at supporting innovative proposals that are progression orientated for the unemployed.

It is important we understand the position that prevails in our community and the impact this has on individuals and families. As the last speaker and Senator Bacik indicated, I hope we gain meaningful suggestions that can be taken on board. It is important we acknowledge what is happening, especially in the light of the motion referring to specific areas of the jobs strategy, the retraining and the back to education scheme. I will not address every point but the motion refers to the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Social and Family Affairs and Education and Science. A number of additional measures have been taken beyond those to which I referred. I do not have time to address each and every issue but I have no doubt the Minister of State will do so when he has the opportunity.

We must take account of our domestic situation and the global situation that has an impact on us. It is all around us. The stark reality is that we are witnessing an exceptionally difficult period, with output reduced and stressful financial circumstances. There is no doubt we have lost our competitiveness, which is under serious pressure. I refer also to high unemployment across every community. Like many countries throughout the world, the United States has spent trillions of dollars in stimulating the economy but one issue that continues to cause difficulty is increasing the numbers in employment. The United States is not reaching the targets set in this regard. I agree with those who have proposed sensible measures to address the situation. I approve of a jobs strategy, retraining and back to education schemes along with all the other measures taken by the Government. Let us not lose sight of the fact there are the ingredients of a massive storm in our domestic situation. These are compounded by the global storm. We must take stock of where we have come from.

There is no doubt individuals, groups and their representative bodies have enjoyed rates of remuneration and conditions of employment that are no longer justifiable. The real answer is that we must create jobs and address our competitiveness. We know what the Government is doing with regard to debt and trying to get the banking situation under control. Unless we address the issue of competitiveness and create jobs at local level, there is no point in having a jobs strategy, retraining or a back to education scheme. We must ensure we can create opportunities and that people are prepared to accept the prevailing conditions, rates of remuneration and conditions of employment that go along with these opportunities. We must come to a clear consensus on what is just, reasonable, sustainable and what can be supported. We need to examine where we are and what we have tried in the past with a fresh pair of eyes.

I will not get into whether figures should be measured by the live register or the quarterly national household survey. The figures for unemployment are——