Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I understand that many economists who looked at it since have given it the green light, that there were two or three other measures that could have been taken in difficult circumstances.

My big problem with the budget is that while it is one matter to take out €4 billion, and there had to be severe cuts, the idea that the Government would cut its way, through this mechanism, out of trouble leaves me and everybody else baffled. There was no spark of sunshine in all of what the Government did last week to give any hope or confidence to anybody that they would ever get a job in the next couple of years. That is where it failed us.

There was nothing but gloom and doom. When the Taoiseach got up to speak, he reminded me of another day. If the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, wants a history lesson, I remember the day Charlie McCreevy presented a budget which we criticised. His pivotal message that day was decentralisation even though it had nothing to do with the budget, in the same way Deputy Roche states public service reform has nothing to do with the budget. The then Minister, Charlie McCreevy saw nothing wrong with-----

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