Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Matters which can be explained by Senator Mansergh are one of life's great entertainments but he usually produces a good quote or historical analogy to lighten proceedings.

The tragedy lies in the degree to which a Fianna Fáil-led Government was led down a cul-de-sac fashioned by the Progressive Democrats, which had between four and eight Deputies at different stages, for a considerable number of years. The priority given to exuberant tax cutting and inflation in the construction industry and the ideologically driven belief that the way to carry out business was through the private sector produced a paralysis in Government at a time when it was clear that resources were available. An example of this thinking can be seen in the provision of public transport and airports. The Government showed a disinclination to spend available resources and a most peculiar set of priorities. I do not wish to rehearse today's Order of Business but a significant number of the most highly trumpeted transport initiatives outside Dublin, such as interurban motorways, will now be four or five years late.

Other examples of these transport initiatives include the questionable decision to develop a radial motorway rather than a network of motorways to balance development. The overarching ideology was that of the Department of Finance, which has always believed that infrastructure should follow the market rather than create it. This is where the fundamental difference in policy between the Labour Party and the Government parties lies.