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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Feb 1978

Vol. 303 No. 2

Financial Resolutions, 1978: Financial Statement, Budget, 1978. - Budget 1977 job-creation package

Our predecessors had introduced a £55 million package involving direct job-creation and employment incentives in the January 1977 budget. We welcomed this while in Opposition; our criticism was directed at the delay in introducing such measures. Far from discarding it, therefore, we wished to see it pursued to a successful conclusion and I issued instructions to that effect to the spending agencies concerned. In spite of this, a substantial shortfall, which the end-June review by the Department of Finance had shown to be in prospect, emerged at £12.5 million by the end of the year. In particular, only £0.8 million of the £4.35 million provided for schemes of employment premiums was actually spent—realising just over 4,000 jobs to end-1977—far short of the 11,000 envisaged to end-February 1978.
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