Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

The Minister introduced the special savings investment account which was revolutionary. Members of my family who would not usually have saved are now saving. For the first time young people are saving and are looking forward to the day when the money will be available to allow them to start building a house, build an extension or buy a car. It is a tremendous scheme. I strongly recommend a roll-over scheme, a national development plan scheme with attractive interest rates, where people would be prepared to reinvest the money saved at the end of the scheme in a national saving bond, organised by the National Treasury Management Agency. Some 50% of those investors would be prepared to reinvest in the interests of the State to borrow for infrastructural development. Compare that scheme to the scheme proposed by the leader of the Labour Party, former Workers Party, former Democratic Left, former loony left——