Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Regarding the first issue raised by Deputy Rabbitte, there has been a review of the critical infrastructure Bill and an updated and reformed version of the legislation will be brought forward. A considerable amount of work was carried out by the Minister over the last six months which has improved it.

The Department of Finance is assessing the Stability and Growth Pact and will examine the various envelopes on the capital side to see whether there should be a change in that. At this stage, there has been no change. We are at 6% and I do not accept the argument made in Brussels that we cannot be 3% ahead because we are currently 2% ahead. If one looks back to the 1960s when some of these countries were building at 6%, Ireland was building at 0.6%. I do not think we can follow that and I believe we have won that argument.

We must now make an assessment for the next decade. It is important for us to keep at 6% for ten years up to 2020 because it is only then that we will get our infrastructure up to pace. We must maintain a high level of public expenditure for a sustained period of ten to 15 years to modernise our infrastructure. We won the argument after a battle over the Stability and Growth Pact that went on for several years. This and future Governments should remain at the current level if they can afford it because we need it to modernise our infrastructure. We now have the capacity to do so and the Department of Finance will have to decide on the matter. There is no reason we cannot go above that level.

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