Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

We are taking this legislation today instead of the multi-unit development Bill because the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, is obsessed by this particular provision. It is not merely a vanity project, it is also a token of the Greens' contribution to Government. It is extraordinary that, at a time of economic cataclysm when we should be debating the EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland, the Minister has chosen to give priority to this issue.

During the 2007 general election campaign, there was a perception that the Greens were a harmless bunch who were worth a vote to protect the environment. We now know that the Greens are more economically illiterate and incompetent than Fianna Fáil. That is clearly evidenced by the fact that they are a party to this document and to the description of the problems in the Irish economy contained in this document, for which they are accountable and substantially responsible with their Fianna Fáil colleagues in government.

The Irish people will never again be fooled by fellows arriving at the gates of Leinster House arming themselves with a leek in one hand and a bicycle in the other. The reality is that the EU-IMF document before us, is the ignominious epitaph of the worst Government in the history of the State. It is absolutely extraordinary to debate this Bill from a Minister who, when addressing these issues in the House yesterday, said there were limited choices when in government, yet he chose to prioritise this issue today. He referred to the Government as being an asylum. It may be politically incorrect to say so, but - in the context of the financial cataclysm that has hit the country, and their weird political priorities today - the Green and Fianna Fáil members of the Government have proved conclusively that the lunatics are truly running the asylum.

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