Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle. The initiatives the Government took to try to ensure that we would be successful in maintaining our expenditure within 2008 levels were opposed by the Opposition parties. The €2 billion raised in taxes in our budget was opposed by the Opposition parties. The €2 billion required in expenditure and which everybody in the social partnership——

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