Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

-----in embracing Fine Gael's policy on PRSI 24 months after we first announced it. Can the Government Members imagine the numbers not unemployed if they had taken on board this policy 24 months ago?

Senator Mooney gave a fine and commendable speech except for one element of it. The fact is the Government does not care or have a plan. That is why the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation is not here for this debate. Senator Mooney gave less than a ringing endorsement to the Tánaiste, Deputy Mary Coughlan's time as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Senator Mary White spoke of 2008 as if a wall had been erected then. Life did not end then; it got infinitely worse for many of our fellow citizens. Unemployment figures disguise that many our fellow citizens have had to emigrate to Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Asia, locations that will replace those synonymous with Irish emigrants such as Cricklewood and the Bronx. Today, 7,500 people applied for 500 jobs at Dublin Airport.

The Central Statistics Office's recently published first 2010 quarterly national household survey contained headlines such as, "Employment falls by 5.5% in the year", "Full-time employment declines by 115,700 over the year", "Number of unemployed increases to 275,000", "Long-term unemployment rate increases to 5.3%", "Decline in labour force driven by falling participation", "Number of people not in the labour force grows by 3%" and "Non-Irish national labour force declines by almost 16%". That is an indictment on the policies of a failed Government.

On the other hand, Fine Gael is a party ready to govern with job creation policies, independently costed, that will get Ireland back to work. Today, it was announced 444,900 people are unemployed, the largest number ever on the live register. Every month, this figure reaches another high. When will this end? The Government has bailed out the banks and introduced its budgets to cut public spending but when will rising unemployment end? The Government cannot show us a jobs plan because it does not have one. The consumer confidence referred to by Senator Mooney is not there. Senator Mary White is wrong because more and more small businesses are not taking on new employees or opening on Saturdays and Sundays. Senator Dearey, himself a small businessman, knows well what I am talking about.

Nineteen months after Fine Gael published its job creation plan, the Government decided to take one of its ideas and run with it. It is a pity the Government did not listen to us over the past ten years instead of trying to buy the people with money.

The sad part of all of this is that the people, not the Fourth Estate for which I have no regard, do not see the Government as having the ability or competency to get them out of this mess. More and more people, particularly young families, are living in hardship and poverty faced by large personal debts. When I canvass four days a week, I meet qualified and trades people struggling with economic hardship while the friends of Fianna Fáil, even though they have not got the champagne anymore because it has gone off, getting away with it, blowing cigar smoke into their faces.

The Government's motion is a disgrace. Some 444,900 people are unemployed. Why has it taken 19 months to take on board the Fine Gael plan? As Senator Phelan stated, we have put together a plan to bring people off the live register and into work. This includes a national internship programme, a second chance education scheme, apprentice guarantees and a work share policy. We have plans and we will do it. Not only will we take over the reins of power, but we will take action. We will be men and women of action who will get Ireland back to work. Confidence will be reinstated and people will have hope. It will not simply be a case of rhetoric or the Taoiseach on the steps of the Dáil talking about getting these people in to talk to them. There will be leadership and a Government of people committed to our fellow citizens.

Let us consider the number of people under 25 years who are unemployed. I am a former teacher. I refer to the leaving certificate applied programme. We offered opportunities to students who were academically not so bright but who were very academic in their own way and very innovative. However, the Government has cut it. Is the Government serious abut reaching out to all our students and people to get back to work? I do not believe so.

We need jobs. This is the only issue on the political, economic, civic and civil tables. Alas, we do not have a Government that will get people back to work. The best thing we can do now is to give this Government an unemployment ticket and give another Government the chance to work. I second the amendment.