Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is the skills and hard work of the people that have helped our economy, not the short-term, damaging and divisive policies of the Government. These skills were built up over decades, and the areas of the economy which have grown are ones which were present and growing before 2011, particularly foreign direct investment.

This week there will once again be major demonstrations over the deeply unfair water charge and the manner in which it was implemented. As the Minister, Deputy Noonan, apparently confirmed in an angry letter to the European Commission, this is a policy which has been fully at the discretion of the Government. This is what he has just said to the Commission and what he still claims. The bloated and wasteful utility, Irish Water, is one of Fine Gael’s longest standing policies and goes back to 2009.

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