Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I believed the Labour Party might have been boycotting this debate — that is all.

The Celtic tiger took off in 1993-94 under the Fianna Fáil-Labour Party Government. To be fair to the rainbow coalition, it can be said that it sustained the growth. Growth was prolonged until 2001, which was far beyond what anybody could reasonably have expected. One can argue on the basis of the figures that such growth is evident again, albeit in a slightly more modest form. This should be celebrated.

I am a little puzzled by Senator Paddy Burke's remarks — I do not have the relevant statistics to hand. The increase in the order of 26,600 jobs pertains only to the past 12 months. The quarterly national household survey indicates that growth increased in the BMW region by 5.7% compared with an increase of 4.9% increase in the southern and eastern regions. I take the Senator's point and agree——