John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute briefly to this debate today. I listened to the contributions of some of the previous speakers on the opposite side, in which they apportion blame to the Government for the economic situation the country faces. Many of them have commented that we have simply squandered the boom. Where have they been for the past decade or more? Ireland has transformed radically in that period.

Between 1997 and 2007 we halved the national debt. Back then, €1 in every €6 was used to service the national debt, whereas now it is nearly €1 in €30. When Luas was first mooted, it was considered pie in the sky. Today it is probably the best transport system in Dublin, with other areas looking for exactly the same. Deputy Upton spoke about the lack of development of certain projects in her area. We all recognise that there are problems, but we should acknowledge the progress, be it on schools or rail stations that have been built in my area or upgraded major roads, such as the N7, the N4 and the M50. The surplus generated over the last decade has been spent on those projects so it has not been squandered. We have also increased the number of gardaí and teachers and introduced SNAs, which did not exist a decade ago. It is unfair to say that the boom was squandered. We invested in it wisely.

The economy faces challenging times, but it is worth noting that the economy today is much better prepared than in the 1980s. There are more than 2 million people working in this country. Regrettably, unemployment is rising, but the figures compare favourably with the European average. We should not talk ourselves into a recession. The real challenge over the next two years is about how we manage the situation so that we can take advantage of global changes. Oil prices, sub-prime mortgages and so on have had a negative effect, but not just on the Irish economy.

The Government recently spelled out its changes in spending. The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs said yesterday that all savings relate to administrative pay, as well as to agencies under the remit of his Department. He also stated that there will be no change in the amount of money available for the various programmes. The section of the Department under my control, namely, community and voluntary groups and drugs task forces, deals with the small groups that benefit directly from that funding. It is important that they are aware that the commitment given earlier in the year remains. As there is an onus on the Department to get the best value for money, those agencies that receive money must ensure that they are playing their part too. The programmes that fall under my remit will remain unchanged. The Minister and I, with senior staff of the Department, are going through everything line by line to ensure that the savings required will be achieved through the administrative side, not through programmes.

I commend the Government motion to the House.

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