It is a tough time to be in Opposition. Our growth rate exceeds that of all other EU member states, inflation is coming down, unemployment is down and nearly all the figures which are thrown at us by the Department of Finance at regular intervals are particularly healthy, a fact we should acknowledge. Whether that is by luck or by good management is a matter which will be debated here for many years. On the whole, apart from the spending issue, the Government has managed the economy reasonably well in what was a difficult period. Gross spending is expected to increase by 7% or 8% this year on last year. That is too much but it is a great improvement on last year. It is to the Minister's credit that he has been able to persuade his colleagues to bring down gross spending during a difficult period. It is notably difficult when one goes on a spending binge, as the Government did in recent years, to curtail spending and the rate of growth. The Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, appears to have been able to do this despite benchmarking, which has given rise to so much debate throughout the nation and in this House.