Sean Barrett (Independent)

I am looking for the Leader to highlight our view that it is not the role of Government to reduce employment in any sector and nor is it the role of Government to create new sheltered sectors. I ask why the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, in its Neanderthal economics wishes to announce that it would like to abolish up to 8,360 jobs in the taxi sector. It is bizarre and it contradicts all of the economic policies that have been referred to and which are aimed at the need to reduce unemployment. I ask the Leader to ensure that when this is debated, the good points of taxi deregulation and the Goodbody report will be used to good effect against what the Minister of State is trying to do. It is not credible that he would wish to abolish between 13% and 22% of the jobs in a sector which is viable and is not subsidised.