Brendan Ryan (Labour)

As long as we do not meet that threshold, we will have room to manoeuvre. When we meet it, the Department will be stuck with a percentage. The fundamental problem is and has been the Department of Finance. It is a huge tragedy that despite the popular and political goodwill witnessed repeatedly in this country, the Government betrayed the target. This is despite the fact that the Government has no opposition to meeting that target and the Opposition is totally at one with it.

The Government did a good job, for which it deserves credit, in its response to the disaster.