Larry Butler (Independent)

I welcome the proposed 500 new jobs at Dublin Airport. The developments there will bring it into the 21st century in terms of its facilities for travellers and so forth. We have not taken much stock recently of how well the economy has been performing in the last quarter. Those proposed jobs will bring the total number of jobs for this quarter up to approximately 4,500, which will be the biggest increase in jobs in more than two and half years. While jobs have been lost, it is important to bear in mind that there will be 440 new jobs in the retail and supply industry in the airport, which will bring the total number of new jobs for the airport up to 1,000. That will be mean a great deal for the many people who are unemployed in the area.

I would like the Leader to arrange for a debate on the energy industry - which is the next biggest employer that would provide a substantial number of jobs - and for the Minister to be in attendance. A number of people engaged in new projects in the energy industry have them almost capitalised and are ready to move on them. We should have a fast-track system for granting planning permission for major projects such as those which will create a massive number of new jobs. Some 2,000 or 3,000 jobs will be created in the construction stages and 700 or 800 permanent jobs will be created in the energy industry. It is important to have such a debate and I ask the Leader to try to arrange it before the summer recess.

I welcome the proposed visit of the Queen. It is wonderful that the Queen has now decided to visit to this country which has friendly relations with Britain. Many of the problems which arose in the past have been ironed out in the past ten years. The apology made by the Prime Minister of Britain for Bloody Sunday was a wonderful gesture, albeit long overdue. The Queen would be welcome here and we should do everything we can to make her visit a success.