Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

We are now one year on from the last election and one year into the Government's term of office. In that period of time, the Finance Bill we are discussing, following the measures introduced in the budget in December, is the first big test and real set of initiatives the Government has undertaken. For most of the first year, it was implementing the budget of the previous year. It is disappointing for the public to see what has come to pass in the first major initiative of the Government and the measures they are introducing. It bears little relation to what was promised this time last year when Labour and Fine Gael Deputies were knocking on doors in the same way as me and Deputy Troy. The public was told that the two parties would create 100,000 jobs, which was promised again yesterday, one year later.

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