Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Opposition claims that the Government does not have a strategy or policy. In the past 12 months, through changes in income tax and expenditure, the Government took approximately €8 billion out of the emerging deficit. We were heading for a 15% deficit in gross national product.

Every one of those policies was opposed by the Opposition and yet it talks about the need to take corrective action to get the show back on the road. It opposed everything. It opposed our attempt to deal with the bank situation and to provide credit for Irish businesses.

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