John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

I am prepared to wait until the hot air subsides. The floating of proposals to reintroduce third level fees is not consistent with the tried and tested formula of coalition Government. I hope any Government decision on fees will not be a departure from the normal way in which this coalition has done business. I hope we will yet see the normal pattern of consultation. I hope there will be time allowed for the normal circulation of documents for discussion and analysis and that there will be efforts to use the normal mechanisms for resolving the policy differences which arise as a natural feature of inter-party Government. I hope as partners in Government we will not be asked to approve or disapprove a package of measures within a matter of a few days. That does not seem to me to be the way to run a coalition Government and it is not the way that this Government has operated since 1997.