Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take great pleasure in contributing to the debate on the question of what the Government has done and intends to do. We exited the bailout programme last December. Our grandfathers fought for this country and we set up and defended the institutions of State. It was harrowing to see a party that had always put its own interests ahead of those of the country selling it and a result, we lost our economic sovereignty.

It is good that more than 60,000 new jobs were created last year and that unemployment is now at its lowest level since 2009. The economy is growing and significant progress is being made, but our society has faced considerable difficulties. Most business people have lost their businesses; hundreds of thousands of people entered into unemployment; most house owners are in negative equity and many of our brightest young people have emigrated. It was claimed that Ireland would need to default, but we did not; we kept to the plan and I am delighted that it has worked.

I have been dealing with the issue of turf cutting in my constituency. My party and the Government were left a ticking time bomb by the Fianna Fáil Administration. This matter should have been addressed in early 2000. Instead of getting a deal along the lines of that for the sugar beet industry, this issue was kicked to touch. Fianna Fáil introduced the great lie - as I cannot use that word, I will say "untruth" - that there was a derogation to cut turf for ten years. When I visited Brussels after three months with a few colleagues and Mr. Conor Skehan of the Peatlands Council to meet the Commissioner, Mr. Janez Potočnik-----

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