Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It is like the Taoiseach's comment about sitting close to President Bush — one would need to get very close to be really assured here. This is an important day in the life of any Government, particularly for the Minister for Finance. Obviously, the economic circumstances are very different from those on the last occasion when the former Minister for Finance, Deputy Quinn, presented the first budgetary surplus in 27 years, which was £11 million.

My problem is that the Taoiseach has not answered the two questions I asked, which relate to accountability on the part of the Government. I will bring him back to a couple of fundamental issues. The Mental Health Commission reported earlier this year that there is no fully functioning multidisciplinary facility in the country 22 years after it made that recommendation. The problem is that the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, issued a half-hearted regret at being found out not so much for the words he uttered but for his complete incomprehension of the scale of what he is dealing with. Mental health is the only area with which he must deal.

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