Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----because the Government could get away with it if that was the case.

The Dáil has been disregarded again, and it is not the first time, I am afraid. The only regard the Government is showing for the public in this area is through the prism of the special communications unit.

Last Thursday, sectoral interests, including the Construction Industry Federation, CIF, the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, and IBEC were briefed about this document before any elected Member had it. Later that day, selected members of the press were briefed before an elected Member got the detail of it here. The next day saw the razzmatazz in Sligo. We have seen the block-booking of half-page and full-page advertisements in national and local media. We have seen space taken in cinemas across the country. Short of putting in a freedom of information request to find out how much all of this is costing, I want to remind the Government of something. This is not Fine Gael's money. This is taxpayers' money, and Ministers had better remember that. The taxpayers need to know where their money is being spent and what money is being used to address the here and now in 2018, let alone what is being spent to tell us about what is on the never-never for 2040. It does not pull the wool over our eyes and I do not think it will pull the wool over the eyes of the majority in this House.

For our part, we in Fianna Fáil will seek to dissect each aspect of the framework on one hand, and expose the duplicity in the development plan on the other. We will expose the double counting that has taken place in the development plan and allow the public to cast their eye on the fact that much of this is predicated on 4% growth, despite the impact Brexit may have during next few years.

We want to expose the lack of cost-benefit analysis, which was exposed by "Morning Ireland" in the presence of the Minister for Finance the other day. The Dáil will seek to expose it even further, as this shortcoming relates to many of the promises contained in this plan. We will expose the failure to provide timelines and schedules. It is our job and that of everybody else in this side of the House to get the truth, to cut through the spin, jargon and yahooing in order to allow the public to ascertain how much of the €116 billion has been announced before. How far can the commitments in this programme go and can they realistically be met? In 2015, Fine Gael launched a plan which supposedly cost €42 billion. Some 25 roads were contained in that plan. Only five have been started to date.

They are the kind of facts that will be in statements coming from this side of the House in the coming weeks. I again implore members of the Business Committee to meet with the Government Whip to investigate ways and means by which this would be debated and by which Members would ask questions to make the Government answerable. Before tonight's debate is over, I want a commitment from the Government's side of the House to acknowledge that the spirit of the legislation should be the spirit of the legislation amended by the Oireachtas - not the spirit of the legislation that Fine Gael introduced to the House and behind which it is hiding.

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