Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy O'Connor from Tallaght for his introduction. I wish to make a number of observations on the motion tabled by Fine Gael and the Labour Party and the amendment tabled by the Government. The motion shows a clear focus of difference between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats in Government versus the proposals of Fine Gael and the Labour Party, which will attempt to be in Government after the next general election. It is a view I have been hearing and believing during the past year or so and it is becoming more evident by the particular wording of the motion which reads:

That Dáil Éireann:

notes with serious concern the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General for 2005 provides continuing evidence of shocking waste and overspending on a range of public projects...

If we analyse that part of the motion and no more we will see the difference between the parties on the Government side and the Opposition. The Opposition is saying the spending on a large amount of public projects in recent years has been a shocking waste. I fundamentally disagree. Most of the major projects are not only essential but in most cases are long overdue. The construction industry, which when we came to Government employed approximately 70,000 to 80,000 people, now employs up to 250,000 and has been a powerhouse generating economic activity through its involvement in the construction of significant public projects.

The Fine Gael Party appears to have a deep-seated hostility towards the construction industry and people working in it. We saw this when Fine Gael was in Government and cut back on major projects. It is interesting that when driving to work this morning I heard a review of a book being launched today. The book, On a Wing and a Prayer, is about Knock Airport and the late Monsignor Horan. It describes how he got on with the job with the support of the then Fianna Fáil Taoiseach, but as soon as Fine Gael and the Labour Party got into government, they blocked and stopped the project. The late Jim Mitchell, at the time, used to refer to the "foggy, boggy mountain", but in latter years he said that if ever he was in charge of a Department and needed someone to sort it out, he would choose Monsignor Horan. After many years of opposing what Monsignor Horan was doing, Jim Mitchell found and publicly admitted that the man had a vision way beyond what Fine Gael was capable of. Ultimately, Jim Mitchell saw the worth of Monsignor Horan. Knock Airport is an example of a constructed project that delivers improvements in terms of tourism and regional facilities. It is an example of what Fianna Fáil does in government and of what Fine Gael and Labour would prevent if they were back in government.

I have listened time and again to Fine Gael complaints about overspending on a range of public projects. We all know it is expensive to build major public projects. I concede that the original estimate for projects that take ten to 12 years from their original conception to their completion and opening is inevitably woefully below the final estimated cost. No system anywhere in the world could project costs ten or 12 years ahead, but that is the length of most of these construction projects. A good motorway project takes at least eight years in the design, planning, oral hearing and public consultation stages. The construction period will then be about two years.

I see the hand of Fine Gael behind this motion, particularly with regard to the claim of overspending.

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