Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

In May 2007, the numbers on the live register were 104,000. In April of this year there are 373,000 plus on the live register, an increase of 219,000 which is more than double the population of the Taoiseach's Laois-Offaly constituency, at 103,673. It is obvious the country is not working under this Fianna Fáil Administration. There is no plan for the future of the country, no plan for jobs and no plan for the economic development of Ireland. The Taoiseach tells us we will have 400,000, and possibly more, out of work by the end of the year and there is a drop in living standards of 10% or 12%, yet we are to have a budget in a little over one hour's time in which the people will be penalised for the mistakes of the party in office. In the context of this afternoon's budget, I challenge the Taoiseach to say whether he is prepared to put that budget to the people and let them decide in a general election who they want to lead the country out of the economic morass and mess caused in the main by his party in government.

See this speech in context