David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I will make a few points in the short time available to me. The Minister of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources was right in saying we are facing into a storm. In a way, we are facing into what could be described as the perfect storm. Inflation is at 5%, the highest it has been for quite some time. Unemployment is rising rapidly. According to a report today, electricity costs are due to rise by 20% in October. We are in a housing crash, interest rates are rising and the Dáil is going on holidays. The Government is out the gap. The Minister of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources spoke about consensus. Each Minister should come before the relevant Dáil committee to report in detail what they intend to do regarding their spending cuts.

The Government presented Members of this House with a three-page document. This is what we have received as Members and the Minister talks about consensus. The document talks about how measures relating to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism will be spread across various bodies. This is the information the Minister has given, or is perhaps only able to give. That is all we have. It is stated that the Department of Finance will deliver the REACH programme at lower cost and that there will be additional control measures in respect of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. There is no detail. As a Member of this House, I expected a full report from every Minister at this stage detailing exactly what they are going to do. This House and the people deserve no less but it is not there which makes me very worried.

Ministers should go before every Dáil committee between now and the end of July and report in detail on their plans. Otherwise, we have something to be really worried about. I noticed that one of the first things axed by the Department of Social and Family Affairs is the personal advocacy service. Again, it is very worrying that people with disabilities will suffer. We have already noticed a major slowdown in the release of funding this year to service providers. These are people and organisations which raise almost 50% of their funding themselves and are not getting the money from Government or are getting it at a very slow pace.

Part of the reason we face this problem is because of the Government's refusal to engage in significant reform of how we carry out our business in this House. This encompasses reform of both the Dáil and committees so that all of these issues can be debated and thrashed out. The Government has refused to do that and treats the Opposition and all the Members here with disdain and arrogance all of the time. The Government must clean up its own mess. I do not know how will it do this without all of its consultants and PR machinery behind it but we will watch and see.

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