Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Within the past ten days a Government Senator resigned and had much to tell about the practice of jobbery at the heart of this Government. She told us last Sunday that there is a report sitting on the desk of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, that is too embarrassing for the senior party in government for the Minister to publish. On Wednesday, we had the two parties in government voting confidence in a Minister of whom, within 24 hours, they sought and obtained the resignation. Apparently there is another Minister of State in trouble today but we will hear more of that later.

Meanwhile, the Tánaiste makes a mess of the jobs situation at Dublin Airport, specifically the former SR Technics operation. Today, former workers of Dell are protesting in Limerick because they cannot get access to the European global fund because of bureaucracy associated with the social welfare system. The banks strategy, which the Government told us would be so secure, is not working. Even the 8% dividend for the taxpayer is not materialising and the Government has ended up taking shares in one of the banks. The value of these shares has already diminished in the short period of time since the shares were taken.

All over the economy, jobs are being lost and businesses are starved of credit. In these times, the country needs a working and functional Government. Instead of that the Government in office is incompetent, dysfunctional and its parties are clearly distrustful of each other. It is tired and now clearly divided. How much longer do the people of this country have to put up with this Government or is the Taoiseach seriously saying to the people that we must ensure two full years of this tired and broken Government he leads?

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