Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

A Government should be able to manage the country's financial affairs. I am aware this Government does not understand this concept but this is the job of a Government. This is the function of the Estimates process and the budget. It concerns financial management and ensuring that money is wisely spent. The Labour Party and Fine Gael were forced to produce the policy document entitled The Buck Stops Here because the Government's record is so poor. The Opposition is telling the Government how to manage our financial affairs. I strongly recommend that the Minister of State considers reading our document before he gives facetious answers.

I want to ensure that elderly people or their estates receive the money in the best and quickest way possible. However, our job is to ensure that the taxpayer is not ripped off. It will be a difficult job because the one thing this Government excels in is ripping off the taxpayer.

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