MEDIA:THE MINISTER for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, yesterday denied the Government was holding back bad news or hiding unpopular Ministers until after the referendum on the EU fiscal treaty.
“Everything is out there. Parliamentary questions are being answered every day. Every Minister is under the same scrutiny,” Mr Bruton said.
“There’s no management going on, ” he said, when asked if there was news management.
“The message is strong, though. People want to see more investment, more jobs. A lot of investors want to see the certainty and confidence a Yes vote would give,” Mr Bruton said.
Irish companies trying to have an export-led recovery were just as anxious for a Yes vote as international companies looking to invest here, he said.
Mr Bruton, who was in Tralee to speak about job creation and canvass for a Yes vote, stressed that jobs and endorsement of the treaty were “very closely related”.
Corporations needed the certainty of financial stability, he said.
Advocates for the No side were running on an act of faith, and his brother John Bruton had summed it up well when he said the choice was between the credit union and moving to loan sharks, the Minister added.
Mr Bruton faced tough questions about the Government’s decision to reconfigure Shannon Development.
He said the new Shannon body would continue to support business parks throughout the region.
He added that he had specific instructions for the IDA to develop its base in Kerry.