Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael)

I, too, would like to raise the issue of Aviva workers and the rumours that have been circulating in recent weeks. They have been heard in the media both last night and this morning, which is of great concern to the workers in the company. Our thoughts are with them today if there are to be job losses on the heels of other announcements regarding jobs, particularly those in Talk Talk in Waterford.

We all know the Minister is in the United States at present working to ensure the sale of MBNA will be to a buyer interested in maintaining the facility in Carrick on Shannon. That is very important. The Minister has been very proactive in that area. He spoke in the media last night and is aware of the rumours surrounding Aviva. He will be doing what he can to ensure, if at all possible, that job losses are minimised. The job of the Government is to continue to ensure the economic environment is protected such that there can be job creation and so existing jobs can be protected. That is important.

Governments do not create jobs but work on the environment in which enterprise can flourish. The report of the National Competitiveness Council last week will be a roadmap showing where we should be going to ensure we return to competitiveness. It will point to the skills that are needed. I do not know the position on Aviva, or whether skills comprise an issue, but we certainly must determine the skills in which there should be investment. We could probably debate this in the House at some stage.