Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

That is the reply of a desperate man who is throwing bait that he expects somebody to rise to but I will not do that. The Taoiseach, Deputy Cowen, was Minister for Finance and he is now Head of Government. He has brought our country to an excessive deficit position through gross mismanagement of our economy and a complete inability to have the courage to debate issues in the House, particularly in regard to the presentation of budgets as they affect the running of our country and impact on ordinary people every day.

Article 136 of the Lisbon treaty sets out clearly that in certain circumstances the Council may adopt procedures on the surveillance of budgetary issues in any country within the eurozone. The Commission's proposal is quite opaque and it means the political whim, colour or bias of the Council at any time could influence what is being talked about here. I want an assurance from Deputy Cowen as Head of Government and Taoiseach of this country that in no circumstances will the Government hand over sovereignty of the running of our economy to anybody else who might have a different view. For example, other countries might well be jealous of our low rate of corporation tax which we have all agreed we would maintain and which is directly related to a specific element within the Lisbon treaty. I do not want a situation where others would look at the Irish budgetary preparation before it is ever discussed by Oireachtas na hÉireann and that they would say, for instance, that we would have to make changes in public pay or corporation tax, or adjust matters that might not be to our liking. I seek confirmation from the Taoiseach that, first, he is not going to sign up to something that will hand over our authority to bureaucrats elsewhere and that he is clear about the retention of sovereignty and control over our own economic affairs.

Last year, Fine Gael put forward the view that we should set up an independent fiscal advisory council in the Oireachtas where the Government would discuss the preparations for the budget-----

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