Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask the people from the Department to please excuse my next comment. The trade finance initiative is a weaselly bureaucratic statement and meant nothing but encouraged the European Investment Bank to invest. The initiative is pure discussion. If one did not know anything about the matter but read the statement, one would think that something was happening. The initiative did not promise to deliver anything, it was discussion only. That is fact. We need delivery.

Last week I fought for the 9% VAT rate for the tourism industry to be retained. The initiative is significant. To me, its retention was the greatest achievement in the budget when it comes to jobs and I disagree with the Minister of State.