Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

It is not agreed. We are extremely concerned that sufficient time is not being provided for a debate on the infrastructure and capital investment programme. We are surprised at the degree to which the Government has been resisting our calls for a wider, more expansive debate on these very important issues and on which many Members wish to contribute. A tendency and a pattern has been developing with regard to all the budgetary announcements. The fiscal plan was published outside the House as was this capital programme and the comprehensive spending review will be published outside the House. Despite all the talk of Dáil and parliamentary reform, nothing is changing in respect of these matters of such importance. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, signed that pledge and it was not just a case of a newspaper article. I would like to discuss this matter in the Dáil-----

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