Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Yes, exactly. He should come back soon. In the Secretary General's opening statement, he set out five goals. In fairness, they probably really could be narrowed down to two goals. Two of the goals pertain to meeting the troika debt and deficit targets and balancing the public finances, while the other ones are about jobs, growth, investment and improved living standards. Is it not the case that these two sets of goals are completely irreconcilable? Is the evidence not now mounting that they are completely irreconcilable and that what the Secretary General has set out in his statement up to 2014 is mission impossible? Is it not the case that it cannot be done and that the evidence is becoming impossible to ignore? Is it part of the Secretary General's role to give advice or to analyse this issue? In his statement, he indicated he is engaging with economic commentators, is listening to what the media are saying, is listening to the business community and to economists and so on. However, a great many people are stating that what he has set out in this statement is impossible, as is what he is trying to do. Does the Secretary General have a role in assessing this and in advising the Government on the possibility or otherwise of what it is trying to do?