Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

If one is serious about changing what happens, one must be serious about delivery. The National Competitiveness Council and Forfás have listed what must be changed for the benefit of the Government. Real changes are proposed, such as, for instance, a statement that the Government's waste policy is dysfunctional and must change. However, the Government is doing nothing about it. It tolerates the indulgence of a Minister who for local reasons is obstructing the emergence of a sensible waste plan that would support employment. Moreover, 74 of the recommendations made by the Competition Authority remain outstanding as the Government sits on them but does nothing. The Minister for Justice and Law Reform has just left the Chamber, having lectured the Opposition on how it should be changing things and coming up with proposals. He has to hand 30 recommendations about how one should reform the legal system that he refuses to implement.

One should get real. I am all for an economic plan but it must be credible. It must be about how the leaders of the Government will change what they are doing and will do different things from what it does at present, rather than lecturing the Opposition or simply squeezing tighter the existing framework. It must be about breaking out and changing this by finding real change and efficiency in the manner in which business is conducted. I look forward to this economic plan but am depressed that Members still are debating this budget in a dialogue of the deaf. The Government talks about the need to confront our problems but offers nothing by way of solutions. Moreover, cold water is poured on any solutions that come from the Opposition. They are described as being mealy-mouthed, stupid or fantastic or that some German newspaper states they are no good. This does not constitute constructive dialogue and it is time that Members got real. Either this is the greatest crisis ever faced by this country, which it is, or one has a political theatre in the form of a Punch and Judy show in which one simply bashes on in the way one always has. That Punch and Judy show is over and the sooner Ministers cop on to this change the better to have a decent debate on the options facing the country.

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