Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I remind Senator Terry to think back 20 years ago to 1983 to 1984 when this country was going through one of its worst crises ever with mass unemployment and emigration, huge taxation and the IMF knocking on our door. They were not exactly halcyon days. The success of the economy has improved things immensely and has created the leeway in which we can have minimum wages of €7 an hour. All the advances we have made in large measure are based on not losing the run of ourselves and not making employment something that is highly taxed and highly expensive in international terms. We need only look back 20 years to see how employment can be driven from the economy and how people can be driven out of employment and onto welfare if the system does not keep some handle on basic economic realities.