Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and this Bill to the House. It enables us to go into Christmas and the new year with good cheer from a financial and economic point of view. The public finances are in excellent order, as is the economy, with strong growth, employment rising and inflation below 3%. I also pay due tribute to social partnership as well as the Government for achieving this. I welcome the capital carryover from 2004 to 2005, which is an important and valuable innovation.