Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this very important and topical Euro Area Loan Facility Bill 2010. The entire situation in Greece has dominated our television screens in recent months. There are very serious problems there and we have all seen the violence reported on television. Unfortunately, a number of people were killed as a result.

There has been much scaremongering in this House in recent days, with accusations of anti-European sentiments thrown across the floor at Fine Gael by Government Deputies when Deputy Enda Kenny and our finance spokesperson, Deputy Richard Bruton, raised legitimate questions regarding the future of Ireland's budgetary process. As a result of the bailout package agreed for Greece last week by the EU Finance Ministers it appears Ireland will have to have pre-clearance from the European Commission before a budget can even be discussed in this House. It is a sizable sum of money but Greece is in dire financial straits. We do not want a rollercoaster effect if Greece fails to live up to its budgetary commitments.

I reject the accusations from across the floor of the House. They are completely unjustified. It is a sad attempt by a very tired Government to deflect attention-----

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