John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

For my part, I am available to represent all of my constituents to the best of my ability without fear or favour.

In line with what I believe is the commitment of each Member of this House to serve their constituents as best they can, it is incumbent on us to serve the nation's interests and future well-being to the best of our ability. Nobody in this House needs to be reminded of the severe economic and fiscal challenges we face. I draw the attention of Deputies to the editorial comment in one of the national newspapers today which states that the Members of the Dáil face a challenge none of their living predecessors had to consider.

We are living in economically turbulent times. That is the case here in Ireland and throughout much of the rest of the world. In this House we must plot a course which puts Ireland on the road to a sustained economic recovery. Too often, the Government is accused of running scared and not facing the challenges. The reality is that the opposite is the case when it comes to the challenges this country is now facing. The reality is that this Government is confronting economic challenges in terms of fiscal and banking policy, which may not have been as critical or stark at any stage in our history. As an elected representative in this House and as an ordinary Irish citizen I truly wish that the Opposition could for one moment cease the politics as usual and the endless point scoring and ditch what appears to be an endless negativity that seems to colour all public comment.

I am not suggesting that the members of the Opposition should cease to hold the Government to account but I would ask for a new maturity in terms of their engagement with Government to confront the economic challenges. I would ask for a moment's reflection on the role the Opposition can play in building our national recovery and not on the way the next political point can be scored against the Government.

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