Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

Politics is about choices and it is undoubtedly true that the choices made not by the Minister opposite, Deputy Hanafin, but by the previous Government, were very significant contributors to the financial predicament in which the present Government now finds itself. It is abundantly clear that the choices made today are the mirror image of those that led us into this difficulty. The current Taoiseach, as Minister for Finance, was a cheerleader for the construction industry. Tax incentives were created which threw petrol on a fire that was already burning out of control. This ethos was best summarised by former Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, who said in respect of the e-voting machines that €50 million was but small change.

When the Minister of Social and Family Affairs stands up without a script, there is always a danger the mask will slip. She stated in respect of the bonus that it is only a couple of hundred euro to the recipients. I almost expected the Marie Antoinette of Cabinet to say, "Let them eat cake." The couple of hundred euro represents Christmas for the recipients. The chauffeur-driven Minister in her ivory tower operates mostly from a script but unfortunately walked into the mire this evening without one, thus exposing the real philosophy underlying the Government's approach. It is abundantly clear that the Government has nailed its colours to the mast. When the proverbial hits the fan, the Government stands four-square behind all those who led us into this debacle, the banks and the developers-----

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