Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

No, it is definitely not agreed. More than anyone else, the Ceann Comhairle will be aware that we are presiding over a period of extraordinary economic uncertainty. Unemployment has risen faster in the past few months than in a whole generation. We see prices in our shops which, as the Tánaiste admits, are 31% higher than in Northern Ireland. We see the worst deterioration in the public finances in the history of the State and, in addition, access by air to this country is almost collapsing, while there is no back-up to deal with it. This is no situation in which to adjourn the House until September without a facility to address these issues. The adjournment is being sought by a Government that is sticking its head in the sand. The debate we have had over the past two days has only the most tenuous connection to the serious economic challenges we face. There is no strategy to address the decline in competitiveness, tackle unemployment or address inflation and its effect on families. We expect people to agree to moderate pay agreements in the country's interest, but the Government is not putting in place a strategy in which we can have the confidence to manage our finances, protect families and build a strong economy.

This is not a time to adjourn the House on the back of a debate that is being conducted without any proper documentation from the Government side. The Government is clearly running for cover. It reminds me of a cork bobbing helplessly in the ocean. All we have heard from Ministers are bewildered mumblings that they are in control of our destiny, but they are not in control of what is happening. Everyone is beginning to see that. At last, the PR cuts are showing through because the spin the Government has tried to present is finally falling asunder. The notion that it has any strategy to deal with these huge challenges has just been dismantled. Fine Gael does not support the adjournment proposal.

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