Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

It is not for me to make that determination, that is for my colleague, the Minister for Finance. However, I can give the Deputy my views on the matter. If the Deputy is asking when we will be out of the economic mess, I do not know. We have a trajectory to get a balanced budget, a deficit of 3% by 2015. The Government is determined to achieve that and we will achieve it. We have no control over external forces. We can only control what we can control. We are determined to get a balanced budget, to work towards norms in terms of the deficit, to ensure we pay our way and that we get out of the economic programme that our predecessor Government bequeathed us in order that we can make economic decisions in the best interests of the Irish people without being overseen by any external party.

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