It is significant that the trend of the debate on this side of the House as much as on the other side has been towards tackling the issue of long-term unemployment. I commend Senator Mary White for highlighting the dire statistics for the second quarter issued by the Central Statistics Office. There are a number of suggestions. However, we have not heard much in recent months about the notion mooted in the House of a venture capital bank. The Minister of State with responsibility for small business, Deputy John Perry, who is from my constituency and a good friend has had personal experience of this as chairman of the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Society. That is where I think he got the idea from because the Taiwanese have established such a venture capital bank. There are suggestions that such a bank should be established to help small business as a unit within AIB that would be dedicated to providing venture capital for small and medium-sized enterprises.

There is also a view - I do not necessarily agree with Senator Catherine Noone - that if one pays people, they will remain absent from the workforce. However, economists have proved that at the height of the Celtic tiger when social welfare benefits were at their highest, the rate of unemployment was only 4%. That gives the lie to the view that people did not want to work. When jobs were available, they took them. I do not want to misinterpret what Senator Noone said-----

I did not get much of a chance to say what I wanted to say.

The Senator will have a chance to do so next Tuesday.

They are paid to be absent.

Senator Mooney to continue, without interruption.

I am just taking the stark statement made by the Senator who said that if people were paid, they would be absent. That was the point she made. However, I do not wish to be distracted as there was a significant number of contributions across the House on the issue.

In his announcement of the legislative programme in the other House up to the end of the year the Government Chief Whip indicated that the jobs issue would be a priority. Therefore, it is incumbent on the Leader to ensure this House reflects the real concern expressed about the 200,000 persons long-term unemployed. There must be ideas and suggestions about what could be done to help them. Senator Mary White is correct - we need to be passionate about the issue. She is correct also about its impact on the mental health of those who are without work. Perhaps the Leader might invite the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, to come to the House to outline the Government's position as the unemployment rate has remained stubbornly high, particularly the number of long-term unemployed. I appreciate the Government has a jobs plan, but it does not appear to work. There is a need to recycle ideas. I ask that the Leader provide time to debate this important matter.