Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I note the Tánaiste's self-congratulation on his efficiency and what he claims as a new departure. He has not skipped a beat. In hock to the IMF and the European Union and in the embrace of Fine Gael, he has chosen very quickly to walk the well trodden path of Fianna Fáil and the previous Administration. Not alone has the Labour Party gone along with further bailout of the banks to the tune of €24 billion but it has dropped many of the issues which it said were critical to it, including that of the cut in the minimum wage, a matter I would like to raise with the Tánaiste this morning. Fine Gael and the Labour Party - if my memory serves me correctly it was Fine Gael who first made this promise - promised that the cut to the minimum wage would be reversed. Notwithstanding the Government's efficiency and speediness to do business it has made no attempt to address this matter. Is this an oversight on the part of Government or has it decided that it will not now address this matter?

In the course of the election campaign the Government parties managed to convince a number of people that the new Government would do things differently and would act in the interests of workers, in particular low paid workers. However, the evidence to date tells a different story. When questioned on this matter yesterday, the Taoiseach did not answer the question. I ask the Tánaiste to tell us this morning when the Government will effect a reverse to the minimum wage cut as promised in the course of the election campaign.

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