FF 'not convinced' by Govt stimulus plan

Fianna Fáil has said it doesn't believe the Government's €2bn stimulus plan being announced today will create any new jobs.

The Government is set to announce a range of new building projects including roads, schools, healthcare centres and a new campus for DIT at Grangegorman in Dublin.

They will be funded from the National Pensions Reserve fund, the sale of State assets, the European Investment Bank and public-private partnerships.

But Fianna Fáil's jobs spokesman, Dara Calleary, has said aside from short-term jobs in construction, he does not believe the plan will create any new long term sustainable jobs.

Mr Calleary said: "Construction jobs are very welcome, that was one of our biggest challenges, but I am not convinced that there will be any new jobs created.

"Will any new people be recruited as part of this? That is why I want to see each project that is announced today have a jobs target attached on a project-by-project basis, because that is the only way we will be able to measure the job creation impact."