Sinn Féin Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty has said the government’s job creation strategy is nothing but a PR exercise.
Deputy Doherty was speaking ahead of a meeting of the cabinet tomorrow which is due to discuss the jobs strategy.
Despite the spin from government that this Dáil term will be dominated by job creation legislation the fact is that the legislation underpinning the government’s strategic investment fund, launched on 29 September 2011, is still not scheduled.
Challenging Tánaiste Eamonn Gilmore in the Dáil this morning Deputy Doherty said “On 29 September the Government announced the strategic investment fund. As part of that announcement it indicated that legislative change would be needed to allow for resources to be channelled from the National Pensions Reserve Fund into the productive economy.
“It is now 2013 and the legislative programme was published yesterday. This legislation is not due for publication this term and the heads of the Bill have not even been agreed. The strategic investment fund was supposed to be a major plank in the government’s strategy to get people back to work.
“Given that it has been announced nearly one and a half years ago but legislation has not even come before this House, when will the amendment to the National Pensions Reserve Fund legislation be brought to the House to allow for the channelling of funds sitting in the NPRF into the domestic economy to help get people back to work?”
Speaking after the exchange in the Dáil Deputy Doherty said “The delay in publication of this legislation and the Tánaiste’s clear refusal to answer my question this morning shows that the government’s jobs strategy is nothing more than a PR exercise with no real substance to it. Unfortunately tomorrow’s cabinet meeting is likely to result in more spin with little substance.”
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