Fiona O'Malley (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady. Unlike a previous speaker who criticised the fact that she was present, I am pleased that the two Ministers in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation might well be travelling around the world hustling for jobs. That would be a better use of their time. As has been pointed out, this is an issue on which we spoke relatively recently.

On a day when the CSO statistics were published it is important to reflect on the situation. Even if the recession is technically considered over, that is not the case for the many who remain unemployed. It is not a happy day in any home in which there is someone unemployed. That is the major concern of the Government, as it should be. It has created the environment that will allow jobs to be created.

I wish to resume where Senator Quinn finished. Other speakers also referred to him. He is a man who has created many jobs and knows how to conduct business. I do not wish to single him out, as the same is true of many others in the House. Senator Brady also said the Government needed to create an environment in which jobs could be created. However, we cannot have a situation where everyone is dependent on the Government to create jobs. That is something we need to make clear. I appreciate the initiatives proposed by the Government because they are part of the enabling environment being created. We need to ensure we listen at all times to those involved in the small and medium enterprise sector because it is the backbone of the economy to learn how we can assist them to create more jobs. That is where we will build sustainability.

We all need to do our bit. For example, last year it was apparent that many were travelling to the North to do their shopping. When I was at school, my school supported the guaranteed Irish campaign. We should aim to keep jobs in local towns. If we support local businesses, they, in turn, will support us. That is always the way it was and communities thrived as a result. We must get back to that principle, whether it is in the local shop in a city or rural area. We must remember that we must be consumers of services. There is growth in the economy, which means we can loosen the purse strings and spend a little.

An interesting point was made on the news this evening, that while we should not forget the unemployed, we should also not forget the under-employed, those who are highly qualified but not doing the work they are qualified to do. The Government will not rest until the unemployment figures come down again. We got it right previously. Through tax incentives and other measures we have managed to create strong and viable industries. We must return to that goal by means of the Government creating the enabling environment and cutting down on red tape in order that jobs can be created. I, therefore, welcome the scheme, as one of the initiatives needed to achieve that goal.