Michael McCarthy (Labour)

That is the impression the Senator gave. When people speak with such passion and conviction, we read into what they say.

The budgets of the past six to seven years have reflected an economic buoyancy we had not experienced for quite some time. In the black days of the recession when money was scarce, young people flocked to ports and airports as the dole queues became increasingly longer. It was quite an experience in the 1990s to witness the upsurge in employment and genuine economic prosperity. A case has been made that the mismanagement of the national finances has led to the sharp decline in expenditure by this Administration. In place of "mismanagement" I would use the term "fiscal rectitude". Fiscal rectitude took on a life of its own in recent years, largely as a phenomenon created by the Minister for Finance. As predicted, fiscal rectitude has ensured that in the downturn it is the least well off who have suffered the most. This state of affairs is reflected in a budget that does very little for people on low incomes, for carers and for others on the verges of society.

The budget was roundly criticised and condemned by many people and organisations for its inequitable and unjust provisions, particularly in so far as they affect those to whom I have referred. The unemployed, the underprivileged and the socially excluded have not received a fair deal from the Government. When my former party leader, Deputy Quinn, was Minister for Finance in 1996, Deputy McCreevy told him that when cutbacks in spending were needed it was the poor who would suffer most. This individual has shown his commitment to that principle as Minister for Finance.