THE TAOISEACH has repeated his call for people to be resilient and confident about the future as the Government continues with its programme of consolidating the public finances in anticipation of a global economic recovery.
Brian Cowen said economic recovery was inevitable but Ireland faced a choice whether it wished to be positive and be prepared to capitalise on that recovery or whether it wished to wallow in missed opportunities which would defer recovery and lead to further missed opportunities.
The Taoiseach stressed the importance of economic stability so business could plan and grow.
The Government had embarked on a programme of consolidating the public finances while, at the same time, seeking to protect the most vulnerable in society which would stand Ireland in good stead when the recovery began.
He said Ireland was in a much better position today to cope with the recession, with 1.85 million in employment, than it was in the 1980s when there were fewer than 1 million people in the workforce and the unemployment rate was more than 20 per cent.
Mr Cowen told 900 people at the Cork Chamber Annual Dinner at Cork City Hall that €40 billion would be spent over the next six years in capital investment.