Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

A Leas-Cheann Chomhairle, public expenditure in this country has reached an unsustainable level. That is a fact that any Government must face. If the measures that were taken in recent years had not been taken, our borrowing requirement would have been 20% of our GDP. That is the factual position since 2008. In my budget speech, I set out the analysis of our economic problems that has been accepted by the Government. We accept that public spending had increased on the back of taxes that were not sustainable.

The parties opposite never criticised increases in social welfare provision or spending on public services. Indeed, it was quite the opposite as they called for more. I recall the last election poster from Fine Gael: "More Nurses, More teachers, More Gardaí".

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