The Taoiseach and Tánaiste speak at the launch of the report
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton today launched the Programme for Government Annual Report 2016.
You can read the report here.
Speaking at the launch of the report, the Taoiseach said:
Across the five years of Government we have delivered or have made significant progress on 93% of the 714 individual commitments contained in our joint plans.
We put these plans together at a time of deep crisis as we entered office.
As a government we were certain that Ireland’s recovery and then its sustained progress should be based on jobs, exports, industry and more productivity across a broad range of sectors.
So on coming to office, we put our plan into action.
The Taoiseach continued:
It was a plan to fix the banks, get the public finances in order, get our people back to work.
But thanks to the Irish people’s patience and determination, slowly, steadily, it began to work.
And today we see the early results.
Because today, Ireland is the fastest-growing economy in Europe.
Since the end of the bail-out in 2013 our economy in real GDP grew by 5.2% in 2014.
Unemployment is down from a peak of over 15% to now: 8.8%.
We’re back in the international markets.
At home, we’re getting back to work.
Our government has been a truly re-forming government.
Tánaiste Joan Burton said:
This is a report that looks back on the fifth and final year of this Government’s term. But it’s also a report that helps us look forward – to the recovery now firmly under way and what we need to do to sustain it.
In that respect, it’s a report about progress - and opportunity.
The progress of turning economic crisis into recovery.
We are faced now with a very significant opportunity – to build the best country in which to live, work and raise a family.
But opportunity must be realised.
Read the Taoiseach's full speech here.
Read the Tánaiste's full speech here.