Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

For the Government, the report proves that the vast majority of projects that are transforming the nation have been undertaken professionally and cost-effectively. As my colleague said, it also directs us to areas that require more rigorous attention.

The Government has presided over an era of unprecedented growth. The Opposition has obviously no experience of this kind of growth. It is more practised at recession and stagnation and talking this country down. Owing to its lack of experience, it failed to appreciate that massive unprecedented growth provides inevitable challenges to any system. It is important that the checks and balances are built into the system to highlight errors and prevent them happening. More bureaucracy, which will stifle initiative and lead to further delays on much-needed projects, is not required. The key function of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report is to provide vital information to the Government for the improvement of the management of the taxpayers' hard-earned money.

It is very easy for the Opposition to move from data to blame.

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