Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, to the House and thank the Minister for Finance for his opening remarks. This debate affords an opportunity for Members of the House at the start of a new year to examine the performance of the Government and hear its view of how the economy will expand, develop and consolidate in the future. We heard a great deal from the Opposition in the run-up to the return of the Dáil and Seanad from recess. If we can judge the new dynamic of Fine Gael and the Labour Party from what we have heard here today the Government is safe for another 25 years.