Dear Member,

The Government’s new Jobs Initiative, formally launched this week by Minister Michael Noonan, includes various measures geared towards stimulating economic growth.

It will be funded by a temporary 0.6 per cent levy on pension funds that will raise €470m a year over four years.

The fact is that pension funds have enjoyed massive tax relief to date, and this will involve only a small portion of that, for a limited time.

The initiative includes the reversal of the cut to the minimum wage, and the creation of over 20,000 back to education and training places.

Employers’ PRSI will be halved for workers earning less than €365 a week, and an internship programme will create 5,000 work experience placements in the private, public and voluntary sectors.

All places will be open to all and advertised publicly from July.

In addition, capital spending will be allocated to employment intensive projects involving outstanding work on schools and roads.

Our tourism industry will play a vital role in Ireland’s future economic recovery, and, accordingly, we have outlined several significant measures to help maximise its return.

The temporary reduction of the lower VAT rate from 13.5 to 9 per-cent will help stimulate tourism related businesses such as restaurants and hotels, which have been so badly affected in recent times.

We also hope the elimination of the travel tax will help encourage cost conscious tourists to visit Ireland.

This week, the Minister for Justice announced a major reform of the visa application system for entry to Ireland.  It will make it much easier for overseas visitors who have already obtained visas for the UK to also come to Ireland for up to 14 days, without applying for a second visa.

I am confident these measures will provide some level of relief to this struggling industry.

The imminent visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama will also give the Irish tourist industry a real boost, with the multitudes of foreign media who will also travel affording us a priceless opportunity to showcase our country.

This Jobs Initiative is indicative of this Government’s commitment to bring about real change, though the means readily available are severely limited.

It also sends a clear signal that real efforts are being made to reclaim our position as a dynamic, progressive nation at the centre of Europe.

Ireland’s role in Europe has come under some strain in recent months and years, and rebuilding this relationship is fundamentally important to the work of the Government.

I made this point last Monday when the Dáil had a special sitting for Europe Day.

Monday also saw the launch of ’Getting Ireland Online’ at Google Headquarters in Dublin.

This combined drive by Google, An Post, the County and City Enterprise Boards and Blacknight is aimed at allowing the 40 per-cent of Irish businesses that do not have a website or online presence to set up a site for free in less than 30 minutes.

In the current economic climate, Irish businesses need to give themselves every possible opportunity for success, and I hope the majority of that 40 per-cent will take up the offer.

On Wednesday, I dropped in on the Annual Showcase of Young Social Innovators at the Citywest Hotel, where thousands of young people had completed projects on various social issues. These young people will orchestrate our country’s future, and the enthusiasm and social awareness displayed was immense.

On Thursday, I launched www.siopa.com, an online Irish Gift Shop which delivers speciality gifts from Ireland to the USA. The site sells various Irish quality brands, such as Waterford Crystal as well as handmade crafts and jewelry, and it was encouraging to see the launch of an export focused business.

After the launch,  I headed west to address the inaugural Brehon Law US-Ireland Legal Symposium in Westport. Today, I have several appointments in the Mayo constituency.

The spotlight will be firmly on Ireland over the next 10 days as Queen Elizabeth and President Obama arrive.

I look forward to welcoming the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Tuesday next ahead of the arrival of President Obama and the First Lady on Monday 23rd.

The visit of the first British monarch in over 100 years will be deeply symbolic of the progress made on this island in recent times.

I am also delighted that British Prime Minister David Cameron will fly in on Wednesday for a bilateral meeting as part of the Monarch’s visit.

The President’s itinerary is still being finalised, but will include a free, but ticketed, entertainment event in the capital, as well as a visit to Moneygall.

I am very confident our visitors will be warmly welcomed in the best Irish tradition.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase our country and I have no doubt we will take full advantage of that.

Kind regards
Yours sincerely

Enda Kenny TD
Taoiseach