Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by my colleague, Senator Byrne. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on job creation and sustainable jobs in rural Ireland with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. I would like the Minister to outline to the House his plans for places like the Leader's county of Waterford, west and north County Cork, County Kerry and County Donegal. These regions have been more intensely affected by emigration than anywhere else in Ireland. We often hear job announcements for Dublin, Galway and Cork city but there are huge areas of rural Ireland which need a similar focus. I ask that the Minister come to the House for a full debate on his plans for creating sustainable jobs in these parts of rural Ireland rather than the community employment schemes, a category into which most people fall. It is critical that we have such a debate and I hope it can be arranged within the next four or five weeks, if at all possible.

I will conclude by referring to a hobby horse of mine. Perhaps before the summer recess we will persuade the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to come into the House for a debate on the fishing industry. This has been long promised. He was here several weeks ago to deal with Common Agricultural Policy reform but I have been calling for a debate on the fishing industry in terms of where it is going and the impact of the appalling weather last winter, which forced a considerable number of fishermen to remain idle and caused some of them to lose their gear. As self-employed people, fishermen who are off work for as long as 12 weeks are unable to sign on to get a few bob for their trouble. That debate is long overdue and I hope the Leader will respond favourably to my request.