Taoiseach Enda Kenny on Tuesday night gave an indication that the government will run close to its full term when he predicted the next general election will be "in 40 weeks' time or thereabouts".

Speaking at the launch of Fine Gael's byelection campaign in Kilkenny for candidate David Fitzgerald, Mr Kenny said the people will be asked at the next general election if they believe Fine Gael and Labour have fulfilled their "remit" in relation to the economy.

There has been speculation recently that, because of improved opinion poll showings for Fine Gael and to a lesser extent Labour, the Government may be tempted to call a snap election. However, Mr Kenny dismissed such a possibility before an audience of more than 300 Fine Gael supporters in Kilkenny city.

“The remit for this party, along with the Labour Party, 4½ years ago, was to fix our public finances and put our country back to work, and in 40 weeks’ time or thereabouts, people will be asked that question, do you agree that the Government fulfilled its remit of fixing our public finances and putting our country back to work,” he said.

“It’s not the first time the Fine Gael party, along with the Labour Party, came to the rescue of our country in a catastrophic economic situation we inherited.”

By 2018, he said, the 300,000 jobs that have been lost since 2008 will have been restored. “People who want to work in this country will get a job in this country, that’s what we call full employment.”

Business friendly

The Taoiseach said his objectives were "very clear" when elected in 2011: "to be the best country in the world to do business. Forbes magazine now rate us as that". The Government was able to give back some money to people in the last budget, for the first time, in the form of lower taxation, he said. "We will continue to lessen the burden of taxation on those people in the budget in October."

He urged all party members and supporters to “go the extra mile” in the coming weeks to get David Fitzgerald elected and retain the three seats won by the party at the last general election in Carlow-Kilkenny.

The byelection will be to fill the seat which was held by Phil Hogan before he moved to Europe.