Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I did not interrupt the Senator. We really have to stop this kind of silly Punch and Judy performance. We are here to do a serious task. We should deal with it together in a comprehensive way. I hasten to add that no one on this side is celebrating 100 days of anything. We have to be honest about that. Yesterday, I described this entire initiative as a modest proposal. No one is making extravagant claims one way or the other. It is a fundamental confidence-building measure as we try to reboot the domestic economy. I emphasise that these measures are being pursued as a means of generally trying to improve employment opportunities for people in the domestic economy. There is a fair wind for them. There is fundamental disagreement with regard to some aspects of the levy. Colleagues spoke about that yesterday and we can deal with that.

Senator Byrne's specific amendment on the question of reports is in order. I congratulate him on that. I will go through the speaking note before we discuss it back and forth. The suggestion as set out in the amendment is not possible owing to the limitations in the data available to the Department of Finance. The Central Statistics Office produces employment data four times a year in the quarterly national household survey. While this data set provides employment information on a broad sectoral basis, it is only available on a net basis. It does not provide the information on job creation and job destruction that makes up the net figure. While a new job data set produced by the CSO will allow a distinction to be made in the future, it will do so only on an annual basis and with a significant lag. It does not provide the information on a current basis, such as every month or two months. There is a lag. Therefore, it would be difficult to capture what is required in a report every two months. Data are only available up to 2009.

The argument the Government is making in this regard is that it is not possible to concede to this proposal in the absence of current information. One might have a point if one were to say there is a need to improve the gathering of information. We can all accept that. However, it is just not possible to include this provision in the legislation when the necessary information is not available. We cannot escape the fact that the resources needed to fund large-scale policy initiatives that would help to generate economic activity are not available at present. The Minister for Finance emphasised that when he launched the jobs initiative.

I remind Senator Byrne that the jobs initiative was launched in the Oireachtas. It was not done by means of a press conference. It was launched in Dáil Éireann, as was the bank restructuring plan. The Minister, Deputy Noonan, announced that plan in the Dáil. I think that is a welcome departure from the approach that was adopted over the last decade. During the lifetime of the previous Administration, the Dáil and the Seanad were routinely put to one side so that announcements could be made in the Government press centre. The Government is acutely aware of the need to make major policy announcements in the Oireachtas. It is not a question of making 100-day announcements here, there and everywhere.