Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I remind you, a Cheann Comhairle, that the Taoiseach's opening reply said that the context of the current economic challenges was part of the agenda discussed and I am quite legitimately following up on that. It was the Government which put forward the proposals regarding 2013. Why did it set such a difficult timeframe? Who was it to impress? My questions are serious and reasonable. Would it not have been preferable to extend the deadline expectation to lessen the impact on so many of our citizens who are currently suffering as a consequence of the very restrictive deadline imposed and the cuts that have had to be introduced to try to meet the deadline? It takes no cognisance, sadly, of the huge pain being suffered by so many ordinary, decent people as exemplified in the streets of this city and other towns today, which deeply disturbs me.

I am asking a legitimate question. Why was such a strict and tight deadline chosen? The Taoiseach said it was agreed with the European Union. The Government did not have to agree this. It was the Government that put forward the idea of 2013 and now it is trying to deliver on something that is causing enormous distress on a daily basis and, make no mistake, real hardship for people. I have a legitimate point of view. I accept that these are difficult and challenging times and whoever is in the Taoiseach's seat would have to face them, but there are other ways of facing them. Again, would it not have been wiser to have spread the pain over a greater period of time and thereby lessen the impact?

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