Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

Yesterday the House witnessed the appalling self-congratulatory exercise of the Government's Private Members' motion, in which the Government complimented itself on introducing our policy of exempting employers from PRSI, with the highest number of people unemployed and the staggering rate of suicide, as was mentioned yesterday, with 527 poor unfortunate people losing their lives to suicide because of the stress and anxiety of being unemployed. This is the biggest crisis facing our country. There are 300,000 more people unemployed now than when the Government took office in 2007. This unemployment crisis is its sad legacy.

It is reported today that the United States Ambassador, Mr. Dan Rooney, is calling on the Taoiseach to intervene regarding the granting of a foreshore licence for a water cooling system for the Poolbeg incinerator. Why is the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, stalling this project when there are 600,000 jobs at stake-----