Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

I am sure the Department would have had discussions with the various industries on the prospects for job creation. While the amendment describes a report, it does not describe a report informed by CSO statistics.

We regularly get Ministers making jobs announcements. They are not based on CSO figures. Unfortunately, we often hear that some of the jobs do not always materialise. It would be helpful if we had some information, at least in the report, that was available to the Ministers, not necessarily from the CSO.

I ask specifically that the Minister inform us of what representations the newspaper industry made on the VAT reduction, what undertakings it gave on the jobs it would create and whether it gave any undertakings that it would stop letting staff go because, as I stated, many journalists have been let go from various newspapers.