Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

When the Taoiseach says there will be efficiencies in the HSE I can dispute this statement in so many areas. I agree that primary care is the way to prevent people from going into hospital in the first instance. I visited a primary care centre in the Rowe Creavin centre in Waterford. It is a great location and those involved do incredible work. I am sure the Donegal centre also does great work. However, we are behind in our targets. There is evidence there are at least 6,000 surplus staff in the HSE. There has been talk of redundancies but nothing has happened.

The Government will not give any detail of its budget proposals, nothing except what is stated in the pre-budget outlook and what the Minister for Finance said in his speech tonight. I ask the Government to remember the thousands whose homes are in negative equity and the thousands of young people whose future careers in this country are in doubt. There are many businesses struggling who are looking to this Government - because it is the Government in situ - to deliver some relief to them and to remove some of the obstacles. Some people do not agree with me but I would much prefer that given the scale and complexity of the problems we face we would all be seeking the one thing that would allow any Government to sort out this, and that is a mandate from the people. People will say a general election is not what is needed, but I believe it is needed. The people should vote for the Taoiseach, for Fine Gael or for different parties. They must make up their minds, and the best horse will jump the fence. Then the Government will have a mandate and the real authority to take the decisive but fair action that is so necessary in the interest of social justice and equality.

This country has so much potential, but to harness it is beyond the scope of any one person. I urge the Taoiseach to listen, as he said he would, to the constructive suggestions from this party on employment and job creation. In order to move our country forward, we must get workers off the dole queues and back into a situation in which they can pay their taxes and contribute to our economy. I would like to see us moving up the list again in three years' time in the fields of education and health, with our public finances back in order, and earning money for our country by exporting, as we have always been able to do.

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