Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am surprised at the Government's unwillingness to accept these amendments because they represent a sensible way to actively monitor our progress vis-à-visthe targets we set ourselves. It is nonsense to say that we are aiming for an improvement in something while also saying that we refuse to measure it. There is no point in measuring it in five-year increments because there could be so much regression in five years that the target becomes unachievable for the next five years. It simply makes sense that there would be time-bound targets against which we can measure progress and if we are not achieving those targets, we can then take corrective action in time. That is good business practice, if nothing else and I am surprised that the Government is not accepting these amendments.