Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

-----the Labour Party favours a net adjustment of €4.5 billion. Fine Gael has produced a four year plan but the Labour Party has plans only for next year. Fine Gael wants to cut public sector numbers by 30,000, which is twice the Labour Party target. If the parties opposite cannot agree on these fundamentals, their ability to form consensus and take tough decisions in government is at best questionable and at worst laughable. Despite the many criticisms from the Opposition, the Government is taking the difficult decisions and the necessary action to return Ireland to economic growth.

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