Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

How in heaven's name does the Government expect this young generation coming through the primary and secondary system to measure up to its peers when the Government has failed to provide the necessary competitive tools, such as broadband and next-generation communication bandwidth, to our schools?

As has been pointed out in recent programmes, many businesses around the country suffer from an inferior capacity with regard to broadband. We cannot do business internationally if we do not get that right.

I would like to see Fianna Fáil for once take heed of Opposition speakers. In July we pointed out through the party's financial spokesman, Deputy Richard Bruton, a series of roadmaps and points on these which the Government could usefully follow to begin to restore this economy to a competitive level, where we can again face the future with some degree of hope and optimism.

I recall being in this House, as the Ceann Comhairle does, in the mid 1980s. He was not just a mild-mannered young Deputy from Kerry in those days because he and his colleagues had a chance in Opposition when Government difficulties were evident to make their points very vociferously. Fine Gael will not shirk its responsibility of holding the Government to account in this House. The elected Government has a responsibility to govern effectively but it is not doing this. It is a Cabinet of kite flyers and wasters.

We will live up to our responsibility to prosecute the Government and its absent Ministers in this House on the programme it is supposed to implement. If the Government carries through issues in the budget on 14 October that have been put forward by the Fine Gael Party, we will support them in the House. The Government belatedly introduced protection for deposits and small savings in banks and we support that. Although it was a belated decision, where credit is due it will be given. On the other hand, if the Government wants a bipartisan approach to dealing with the country, it could at least take on board some of the fundamental economically and socially sound proposals which have come from the Fine Gael Party.

I welcome this debate. It has taken the Fine Gael Party, on this first week after the summer recess, to have an economic discussion. There was much blather from Ministers about disrupting the business of government. If the Government wants a bipartisan approach, it should implement it. It should have had its own debate over two and a half days on the economy so all Deputies could paint the pictures coming from their offices and clinics every week, with unemployment rising and social pressures on so many people.

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