Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Many economic consultants in Dublin have said that this plan is based on the tax receipts from the property market continuing into the future. That will not happen. No one in the Department of Finance and no serious economic consultancy believes that will continue. The large tax returns, many of which are driven by the property and construction sector, will not last. It seems inevitable that if we are serious about this plan we must tackle the tax issue at some stage in the course of the next seven years, no matter who is in Government.

The Government is not squaring up to this. The plan is predicated on the rate of growth over the next seven year period staying the same as it is now. If people are honest they will say that the tax returns will not remain as buoyant as they are now because of our dependence on property and construction. There must also be a financial commitment to delivering this over the next seven years. The plan is flawed not in its aspirations but because of the people in charge whose track record is visible to all. The people realise that it is time to hand over to new people with new ambitions for this country and a new ability to deliver political responsibility and accountability. That is the key test of the plan, one on which sadly this Administration has failed miserably in the past ten years.