Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)

On behalf of my colleague, Deputy Doherty, who has been absented from the House in recent days, I thank the people who worked on this Bill as it progressed through the House.

The approach this Government has taken followed the same path as its predecessor. This Bill reflects its insistence on austerity without a real strategy for jobs and growth. How can we achieve growth when we are taking billions of euro from the real economy every year? The Minister is as wise as anybody in this House and I am sure he is hearing the same complaints as the rest of us from his constituents, small businesses and people with vision and energy who want to create jobs. At some point there will have to be space and air for our people to breathe.

The Government is at present negotiating with the ECB on the €3.1 billion due on the promissory notes at the end of the month. That is €668 for every man, woman and child in this State every year until 2023. How can we successfully implement any strategy in that framework? If the Minister were having a private pint with somebody I believe he would admit the answer is beyond him.

Our country is struggling. The people with vision and energy, our entrepreneurs and small business and those who desperately want to return to the labour market are being failed by the framework the Government is implementing. At some point there will have to be a radical redirection of policy.

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