Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

——somewhat over-optimistic. Given the amount of work done and progress made, I would not use that to condemn the programme as a shambles or anything of the kind. Once people can see that the programme is going to roll, it will encourage further interest among those who may have been hanging back to see if it was really going to happen.

My colleague, Senator Leyden, referred to the record of the parties opposite on decentralisation. I was involved in the Leader's office 20 years ago and remember a decentralisation programme was announced in 1981 but it was promptly cancelled when Fine Gael and the Labour Party came into office. The same happened in 1982. It was part of The Way Forward but it was promptly cancelled. It was only when Ray MacSharry returned as Minister for Finance in the late 1980s——