Despite the heart-warming figures he quoted, does the Minister accept that unemployment continues to be an outrageous reality for many thousands of families? Does he accept that many regions, particularly the north-west in Donegal and Sligo, in addition to the Dublin area, still experience very significant unemployment, including huge pockets of anything between 30 and 60 per cent concentrated in some constituencies? No doubt he will be aware of the totally unacceptable level of 60 to 70 per cent in several parishes in the constituency of the
Tánaiste, yet after four months in office this Government has not come up with a single proposal to rectify that overall position.
Given that the long-term unemployed, comprise many individuals who left the education system early and perhaps became involved in vandalism and drugs-related crimes, in addition to those aged 30-plus who did not finish second level or vocational education, what proposals has the Minister to compensate those in greatest need of training?
While I have reservations about the euro road on which we have embarked — it appears that this House has locked us into that commitment which is to be announced next spring and about which no doubt the Minister for Finance will have some comments to make — what proposals has the Minister for the 70 per cent of indigenous industry dependent on exporting to the United Kingdom? I am thinking of companies like those in my constituency, such as Cadburys and many others, particularly those engaged in the food industry. What proposals has the Minister to protect such companies over the next four or five years if, as some people fear, the road to the single currency proves to be an extremely rocky, treacherous one?