Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

We saw the live register figures yesterday for the past month. There are 6,600 more people on the live register, meaning that there are about 440,000 people out of work. That does not include all those who have emigrated. Instead of having a normal week's business next week, Ministers are going on holidays and presenting us with a day and half's business in the House, beginning at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. When the Opposition party leaders object to that, as we have done this morning, the response of Ministers right across that front bench is to laugh. They are laughing at the people. Have they not done enough damage to the country without now laughing at the people and taking themselves off on holidays next instead of coming in here for a normal week's business?

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