Liam Fitzgerald (Fianna Fail)

We have learned a great deal. The balance, insights and good judgment calls of the Minister, Deputy McCreevy, and how he has indicated future expenditure is proof of that learning process. I welcome his decisions and the publication of the Estimates. I welcome the Minister's decision not to try to spend our way out of a temporary difficulty.

I want to refer to the public service pay policy, an area which is attracting much comment due to the percentage of total spend being devoted to it. The most controversial aspect of the policy is benchmarking. The main Opposition party appears not to understand – its former leader in the mid 1980s did not appear to understand it either – that a commitment entered into should be honoured. In the mid 1980s, the then Taoiseach, Dr. Garret FitzGerald, sought to renege on a commitment entered into with teachers. I recall at the time he had to hijack RTE and other elements of the media to try to get over the heads of the teachers' unions to the people in a failed attempt to justify reneging on a deal.