Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

The Minister of State is giving us very bad news in telling us that he will achieve nothing by 31 March. Even though he is one year in office, he has achieved nothing in that time. He claims that €3.1 billion was paid last year and the world did not change. In fact, the world did change for schoolchildren, patients and people on benefit. We have seen the capital investment programme slashed right, left and centre. There is no denying that the world changed as a consequence of paying that €3.1 billion. While some cutbacks have been rolled back - the reversal in regard to schools in the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, scheme was largely achieved by my former colleagues in the parliamentary Labour Party - great suffering has been inflicted on people as a consequence of that payment. That is why the coming payment represents such a significant date for this country.

The Minister of State is being very disparaging to the Greek nation.

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