Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

Working towards job creation in the immediate future, as well as making serious investments for the long term, would make very good sense in the current economic climate. Sadly, the Government has continued along the path taken by the previous Government in accepting the austerity package lock, stock and barrel. This neo-liberal agenda suits the markets. The notion that we introduce austerity and expect the ordinary citizens of Europe to pick up the tab for failed banking institutions is getting harder to take the more the crisis deepens.

It is a pity the Government lacks the courage to do something different which would be regarded as a greater investment in the country and its people and our society.

I understand the supply of money is not limitless and that the Government cannot spend everything it wants on infrastructure. Therefore, I agree with the withdrawal of a number of projects. For example, we have spent enough mad money on the Thornton Hall project. While money must be spent to improve prison conditions, we should not expand the number of prisons. Instead of locking more people away, it would make better sense to invest more in the social aspect of crime prevention and address the root causes of crime. More than enough people are in prison. The scrapping of the Thornton Hall project was a good move on the part of the Government.

Given the current economic climate, a number of road projects were over the top. Ten years ago there was a serious deficit in the road structure, but there have been many positive advances since. That said, we probably got carried away with ourselves and I am not sorry to see some projects being shelved. For example, the grandiose Wexford and New Ross bypass projects were beyond-----

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