Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I am glad to see Deputy Stagg has concluded his canvass for this evening and has returned to the House. From the Government's point of view, the people of Kildare North have an opportunity to decide if three Opposition Deputies will serve their purposes over the next two and a half years or whether they would like to have a Government representative to add to their two distinguished Members from Fine Gael and the Labour Party. We will choose our candidates and we will go forward with a real charter of achievement which was accomplished by my predecessor in the Department of Finance, the long-serving Deputy, Mr. McCreevy.

During the course of the campaign I will be in the happy position to refer to many of Mr. McCreevy's achievements, which have benefited not only the constituency but the country as a whole. To be able to go into a by-election on the basis of reducing unemployment, which is now down to 4.2% of the total workforce — some 86,000 out of work of a total of 1.8 million — is an unprecedented record for any Government.

When one examines the package of tax reform, those who go to work, very many of whom live in Kildare, are better off. Since Fianna Fáil returned to Government in 1997, it has reduced the live register by 2,840, notwithstanding that there has been an increase of more than 27,000 in the population of County Kildare. This is another indication of the huge impact this Government has made to the benefit of the people who live in Kildare North as part of the wider community and a country which is the most successful economy in Europe.

Eminent companies such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard and others have made a record investment in the constituency, exemplifying the modern economy we are building. Mr. McCreevy has a great deal more credit to take than he has ever sought, or has been given him by his opponents in this House, for the enormous changes for the better which have occurred in Kildare since he took the reins of representation in 1977.

Since then, important investment has been seen at Naas General Hospital, which issue Mr. McCreevy took up after the rainbow coalition looked on helplessly for three years. There was huge investment in the national roads programme and in non-national roads. Investment in public transport, which was a nil figure during the rainbow coalition, was resumed. All of these issues are an indication of Mr. McCreevy's impact and influence. Quite apart from the fiscal and financial policies he brought forward on behalf of the Government in successive budgets and which improved the disposable income of working men and women throughout the country, including in his own constituency, these are indications of the impact for the better he made for the people.

Since his leaving office and taking up his post in Europe, one is aware of the enormous admiration for Mr. McCreevy across the party political spectrum; an admiration not replicated for many of us in this House in terms of the esteem and respect in which he was genuinely held for his openness and forthrightness and independent-mindedness. Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats will field two eminently suitable candidates for selection. The merits of our opposition will be extolled by Opposition Deputies this evening as this campaign begins. However, it cannot be contradicted that, as a Fianna Fáil Deputy for Kildare North, Mr. McCreevy was throughout his career a person who made a positive impact and a difference to thousands of people in the county of the lily-whites. We will produce a winner from the Government benches as this campaign begins as a result of the writ being moved.

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