JOBS WILL be the focus of the annual meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party beginning in Galway today, according to Government chief whip John Curran.
Measures to stimulate the labour market in order to secure existing jobs and create new ones would be discussed at the meeting, he said. It will be addressed by a number of Government Ministers and outside experts.
“Each member of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party has seen first-hand the impact the recession of the last two years has had on families and communities in their own constituency,” said Mr Curran.
He added that the party had invited a range of speakers to assist in the analysis of the jobs challenge and to focus on further solutions and actions.
“Securing and creating jobs is the key issue now facing the Government. The next two days will help us to ensure that our policy response to this issue is both targeted and effective,” he said.
“While other parties seem more interested in talking about elections and their electoral chances, Fianna Fáil will get on with the job of devising policy responses to the challenges that Irish people and companies are facing on a daily basis in the real economy,” Mr Curran continued.
The meeting, which begins in the Ardilaun Hotel this morning, will open with an address from Taoiseach Brian Cowen before a session on job creation chaired by Minister for Enterprise and Employment Batt O’Keeffe.
Among the contributors will be Government adviser Prof Peter Clinch, Jim O’Hara, vice-president of Intel Corporation, and Pat Fitzgerald, founder and director of Abtran.
This afternoon a session on labour market activation and support will be chaired by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan. It will be addressed by Philip O’Connell, research professor at the ESRI, before a presentation by Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cúiv.
A question-and-answer session afterwards will include additional brief presentations by Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs Pat Carey; Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin, and Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith.
Tomorrow, a session on banking credit chaired by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan will be addressed by Frank Daly, chairman of Nama; John Trethowan of the Credit Review Office, and Cliff Taylor, editor of the Sunday Business Post.
The Taoiseach will deliver the closing remarks at the end of the meeting at lunchtime tomorrow.
