Govt's Own Report Cards On Action Plan For Jobs Can't Mask Extent Of Crisis - FF

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Jobs Dara Calleary has said people will be surprised to hear that the Government is giving itself glowing report cards for the implementation for the Action Plan for Jobs while the number of people out of work continues to rise to almost 15%.

It comes as Retail Excellence Ireland’s Performance Review shows sales for the second quarter of the year dropped by over 4%.

Deputy Calleary said: "There are 12,000 more people on the Live Register since the Action Plan for Jobs was announced and 20,000 more since the Government’s botched Jobs Initiative in May last year. Minister Bruton may feel the time is right for self-congratulation, but the real test for this Government is how many jobs are actually being created and how many people on the Live Register are securing the positions.

"The Irish Retail Industry Performance Review for Q2 2012 shows sales in April, May and June fell by 4.2% compared to the same period in 2011. It’s the 13th consecutive quarter where sales have declined.

"The report from Retail Excellence Ireland shows consumers are still holding off on engaging the economy, particularly large ticket items. The jobs crisis facing the country is too important for the Government to be patting itself on the back every few months while the numbers of the Live Register continues to increase. Until we see credit flowing to businesses, employers confident enough to employ additional staff and increased consumer confidence and spending we won’t see a meaningful impact on the jobs crisis.

"We are continuing to attract a level of foreign investment but we also have an indigenous SME sector under intolerable pressure. We need to see leadership from Government on local authority rates and exorbitant rents in the market place. This has been lacking to date while Minister Bruton is in open conflict with Minister Joan Burton over her plans to load even more costs on employers – a move that is fuelling uncertainty for employers as a time when uncertainty is the last thing they need," concluded Deputy Calleary.

(CD/GK)