The programme for Government included a clear commitment on balanced regional development, with an undertaking to create 175,000 jobs in the regions. The Taoiseach knows as well as I do that there is a serious issue with the availability of jobs in rural areas of the midlands and the west. It is almost easier to find a needle in a haystack than to secure a Government-backed job in counties such as Roscommon and Leitrim. Last year IDA Ireland paid out €93 million in grants, not one cent of which went to counties Roscommon, Longford and Meath. How often does the economic unit in the Department of the Taoiseach meet and does its agenda include discussion of the commitment to balanced regional development on which so much emphasis was placed in the programme for Government? Government supported jobs are badly needed in the region.

The economic unit meets every day. In addition, there is a Cabinet sub-committee which meets once every six weeks or so. While acknowledging the significant variation between counties, it is important to emphasise that unemployment has fallen in every county. Between 60% and 80% of all jobs created in the past year were based outside Dublin. There is a lot more to job creation than the activities of IDA Ireland. That body tends to bring in large foreign direct investors, most of whom are only interested in locating in places where they will have access to 1 million people within a short distance and where there are universities and other facilities in close proximity. However, Enterprise Ireland and the local employment offices provide a large number of State-backed jobs in all counties.