John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Everybody knows what happened subsequently. Oil and gas prices dropped dramatically from almost $150 per barrel to between $35 and $40 which it is at present. It was reasonable to assume that hard-pressed consumers, businesses and households would get some respite at a time when a bit of good news is badly needed. It was a chance to restore some sense of competitiveness into industries and businesses which were on their knees because of the Government's handling of the economy for the past 11 years.

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