Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, in particular, well in the onerous job of Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform because he will have to deal with all the varying demands on the public purse - it is the public's money - that will come down the line in this Government that has just been formed. Deputy Rock, who was the very first speaker today, told us we should embrace the politics of the future, but I really can see very little politics of the future in what has been cobbled together in this Government today. We sat here in these benches earlier with empty benches to our left because that Government was still being cobbled together.

We fixed the economy because we wanted a decent, fair society and we were able to do some of that in the previous Government when, for the first time, we had a little bit of money to spare. We started some of the things that now, thankfully, are in the programme for Government. In the area that I was working in, there is a commitment to reduce class sizes, which I very much welcome, but we actually already started that. We have money in the budget for next September to begin reducing class sizes, and that it is important. There is talk about all the important things that need to be done. My worry is that areas like mental health, which is so important, education, which is absolutely crucial to the future of young people in the country, measures to reduce child poverty, which is really important, child care - I wish Deputy Zappone well in that area - all need money and will have to compete with the demands of all the other bits and pieces that got cobbled together in that deal from various parts of the country. It is interesting to see that the lads who are propping it up are already complaining about money being spent in that deal. The real needs of the country will have to compete with all that and that is why I wish Deputy Donohoe well in the job that he will have to do to spread that money around.

Abraham Lincoln famously put together what became known as the team of rivals. In contrast, the last-minute arrangements we are asked to vote on now can only be described as a team of survival. I have grave doubts especially when I hear the one leg in and one leg out speeches of Deputy O'Dea and Deputy MacSharry who on the one hand are propping up the Government-----

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