Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

Now that we are in recessionary times, our budgets are still being written on the back of an envelope. The Government is making it up as it goes along. The Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, believes that the confusion has mainly been caused by the Opposition. This decision was announced in last Tuesday's budget, it was explained later in the day by the Minister for Health and Children, it was supposedly clarified in the Dáil by the Taoiseach on Wednesday, it was confused in the Chamber by the Tánaiste on Thursday; we were told on Friday night that there would be a process and a fee structure, on Sunday we were told that there would be an announcement and, when the announcement was finally made on Tuesday, it inspired such confidence that 15,000 real patriots were out on the street today to tell the Government what they thought of the decision.

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