Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

In respect of the European position, wooden head or none, we have already set out our view that there should be an interest rate reduction. The Heads of Government meeting in Brussels agreed with my suggestion that, as the bank stress tests had not been completed in Ireland, it would only be appropriate that the Ministers for Finance should deal with the issue when the truth of those stress tests became available. The recent informal meeting in Budapest was blown slightly off course by the fact that the Portuguese Government has applied for funding under the scheme. In respect of the EFSM agreed from 2013, it is important that its design is appropriate for Ireland in respect of its capacity to provide medium to long-term funding for the country. That must be the emphasis of the European dimension to these discussions. Far from straying from what we said, we are targeting specifically the elements of the programme for Government we have set out.

Deputy Adams does not have a wooden head and he is raising this for political purposes. We have already stated that where savings occur, we will be looking at the lower paid element of the public service and lower paid people. The best antidote to unemployment is a job and the opportunity to have a career and that is where the Government is focused. I remind him that the budgetary presentations we made last year proposed to protect the blind, children, disabled and pensioners. I do not take it from him that he is even suggesting this Government-----

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