Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Our glass is very much more than half full economically. The Taoiseach, in his opening remarks to this debate, set out a vision for positive economic policies to deal with this downturn, measures to reduce the cost of doing business in Ireland, increase competition, help the consumer get greater value for money, improve competitiveness and maintain the focus on education and skills. These are sound measures that will pay off.

See this speech in context