Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Labour Party does not agree to the Taoiseach's proposal to deal with this issue. What is proposed here is a set of statements which is an anodyne way of dealing with a major document from the Government.

Like Deputy Kenny, I, too, do not believe that this is a plan for national recovery. It is a plan certainly for budgetary adjustments but it is not a plan for national recovery, and we will discuss this in greater detail when we make statements. There should be provision for questions to the relevant Ministers about aspects of the plan; no provision is made for this. Many aspects of what is proposed in the plan are not clear. There is a major question as to the status of the plan and to what extent it has been discussed, agreed or negotiated with the IMF and European institutions. We have no opportunity in these arrangements to put those questions.

In any event, it is a document that the Government should put to the House for decision. We have no motion attached to the proposal and there is no opportunity to vote on the plan. Earlier this week, I asked the Taoiseach whether he was confident he still retained a majority of Members in the House who would support this plan and the budget-----

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