Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome that. On the occupied territories Bill, my office was in touch with Senator Black yesterday to arrange for me to meet with her. I will come back to the Deputy once that has happened. In the vein of controlling what is within our control, and we can talk about this more when we have our briefing and engagement, it is imperative that we look at what is within our control and what continues to bring jobs and investment to this country, such as competitiveness, refocusing on costs, improving the stock of strategically important infrastructure and, from a public finance perspective, building up a buffer. We were often, not necessarily by the Deputy but by many others in this House, ridiculed for setting money aside for rainy days. People asked why we did not spend it. There are some in this House who believe that because they have it, they will spend it and even if they do not, they will spend it. Thank God we have now set aside money in terms of funds for economic turbulence should that happen. The Department of Finance will set out its updated assessment of the economic outlook, which will incorporate the latest developments in the global economy. It will also have its spring forecast, which will be published next month. However, this is going to require significant attention and engagement from everybody in this House and I, on behalf of the Government, want to work in a constructive way, right across this Chamber, so that we can do our very best for this country in the time ahead.

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