Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I went on to say in my reply that we could assess what further meetings would be helpful if that is the case. I was not committing the Deputy to the process unless there is a basic common understanding of what is required to resolve the problem. I am not getting involved in any partisan comment but I was referring to the Deputy's interview in the Evening Herald, which I presume accurately reflects the Deputy's views. He has not suggested otherwise. There is nothing partisan about it. It would be great if everybody could agree on the four-year framework, including expenditure levels, taxation issues and growth figures.

See this speech in context