Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The Sinn Féin Deputies are not prepared to agree to the Order of Business. The proposal to guillotine Second Stage of the Finance Bill at 7 p.m. will ensure there will be very limited participation and that the vast number of Deputies will not have a chance to contribute to Second Stage of the legislation. This is very important legislation, an outworking of the supplementary budget of 7 April. It has significant consequences for low and middle income families placing an extra steep and stiff burden on their already hard-pressed condition.

However, with all that is entailed in the Bill, there is no provision whatsoever for the National Asset Management Agency. As legislators, we are expected to allow the Government to proceed with the proposition without any legislative basis whatsoever. A burden is being placed on the citizenry of the State that will have potentially serious consequences for all citizens for many years to come. This is, yet again, another lost opportunity for any real proposals in the area of job retention and creation. The Government has completely failed to address this essential and integral part of any effort to deal with the current difficulties in the economy and to rejuvenate economic activity throughout the State.

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