Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

When we met the officials, we were informed that there are no real plans. Ministers are meant to lead their Departments. They are supposed to inspire civil servants and encourage them to develop ideas. I am quite convinced that there are many ideas and a high level of capacity among civil servants. However, the staff of the Minister's Department have been allowed to become utterly depressed by what lies in store for the future. If those who are making the plans are suffering from depression, they are not going to generate the kind of ideas that will assist in getting the country back on its feet. It is the Minister's responsibility, as the leader of his Department, to inspire civil servants to give of their best.

Last week the IMF stated, "Fiscal plans should be fair. There should be specific measures to protect the most vulnerable from the effects of the consolidation." A similar bias lies at the core of the Labour Party's approach to the coming four years. Unless there are reforms affecting the very wealthiest in the country, people on lower income levels cannot be asked to shoulder the bulk of the burden.

The Minister responded in a very negative way to Deputy Gilmore's contribution and the Labour Party proposal for a strategic investment bank. We did much research on this and considered models in four or five European countries. Coincidentally, today's leading article in The Guardian is related to this. The Minister used to quote all the time flattering comments from the Financial Times before it cottoned on to him.

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