Brendan Ryan (Labour)

As I said, this budget has no heart because it does not address the fundamental fact that this is the most unequal society in the OECD. The budget has no head because it does not address the basic problem of competitiveness arising from our appalling infrastructure, development of which is being indefinitely placed on the long finger. There will be no improved railways, no real improvements in road transport and no development of telecommunications infrastructure. The latter is the most necessary of all forms of infrastructure if we are to justify our claim to be a high-tech economy.