Shane Ross (Independent)

He might not agree with regard to that area and I would be interested in his comments. I have a view on it which does not reflect particularly well on the Opposition.

Deputy McCreevy has been a great Minister for Finance. Some would say that he has had an easy time, but he has been directed by a philosophy which is not particularly popular in the country in its raw form – a fairly basic commitment to private enterprise and the entrepreneur which sometimes treads on the many corns of vested interests. No one has encountered more political opposition from minorities and the politically correct than the Minister, but he has the courage in difficult times to do what is necessary and stick by what he believes in. That is difficult for a politician. It is simpler to take the easy way out.

I draw one exception to that. The House will forgive me if I mention public expenditure, which Senator Quinn so eloquently dealt with. The most irresponsible financial, economic or fiscal decision taken by any recent Government was to pay the full benchmarking award. It is even more disturbing that there is almost unanimous agreement in the House about it. There is no need to have a debate on benchmarking, for all the political parties are agreed on it. If they are not agreed, they are being as quiet as church mice about it because they are scared stiff of taking on any vested interests. I am disappointed that the Minister, who has shown such courage in other areas, did not take on the benchmarking monster, which is, of course, an enormous increase in public expenditure at the very time when we cannot afford it.