Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

In the language of high diplomacy, Deputy Ó Cuív was the Minister in the Department and a member of the Government that negotiated the deal with the troika. The format of structural adjustment programmes around the world - we are not the first country to be in such a programme - is that there is enormous discussion between the people in the IMF, which is overseeing and supervising the programme and providing the loans, and the officials in the country which is in the programme. Clearly, that is what happened when the IMF came to Dublin in November 2010, though if the Deputy recalls there were some denials from some members of that Government that such a process was under way. We are in a framework. The framework that was signed up to by Fianna Fáil and the Green Party includes very detailed, weekly, monthly and quarterly reporting and discussion at all appropriate intervals of what progress is being achieved. The objective of the Government is to see the country exit successfully from the adjustment programme and return to economic growth. We must have regard to the programme. The troika members are exercised by issues such as activation, the cost overall of social protection and by various elements of various schemes. In the language of structural adjustment programmes they take an interest in all of these issues and, as we have heard from time to time, different parts of the troika have different views on different issues. I do not think the troika would describe itself as dictating to any particular Department.

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