Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

When drafting legislation we must take cognisance of the constitutional and international obligations and imperatives that apply. The need to give sufficient consideration to such matters is imperative, so that subsequent legislation is not struck down in the courts, where it is not effective because of court challenge or by way of legal argument. The accommodation of these public policy considerations mean that such legislation can take some time to draft.

The programme for Government outlines our priorities quite clearly, and how we must work within responsible public finance provisions in order to achieve those. All commitments in any programme for——

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