John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I do not know why there is a difference between the Minister of State's figures and mine. Perhaps his figures refer specifically to the 21% of centres which receive Enterprise Ireland funding.

I note the €10,000 grant to the National Association of Community Enterprise Centres. While I accept this is a time of scarce resources for the Government and choices must be made, the number one choice must be to sustain jobs and get people back to work. Job losses are not just a disaster for individuals and communities but also for Revenue in lost taxation and increased spending on social welfare. More investment in job protection and creation is needed and, in this regard, supporting the community enterprise centres would be money well spent. I ask the Minister of State to relay my thoughts in that regard to the Minister and the Department.