Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

Since when has the Labour Party been in the business of lining the pockets of private investors at the expense of the taxpayer? It has clearly bent the knee to the troika. That is nothing new. That is a pattern that has emerged, but in this instance it is also clear that it has bent the knee to Fine Gael. In fact, the Tánaiste stands in this House this morning and waxes lyrical about NewERA as though it were a creation of his own. The Tánaiste knows as well as I do that semi-State companies such as ESB, Bord Gáis, Eirgrid, Bord na Móna and Coillte are all profitable industries. They have consistently self-financed, consistently returned a dividend to the Exchequer and consistently employed thousands of people and they have been built up over generations of investment by Irish taxpayers. The Tánaiste talks about non-strategic assets. Can he tell me on what planet is the energy sector non-strategic? On what planet is the transport sector non-strategic?

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