Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I would be very happy to have a debate on competitiveness because I do not think we should paint it in too gloomy colours.

I wish to raise a second point. I was concerned at the misrepresentation of an aspect of proceedings in this House in a newspaper column in recent days about the Taoiseach's initiative, which we all welcome, about meetings with the churches. It was stated that it was high time that Catholic prayers at the beginning of the Oireachtas proceedings should stop. That is a complete misrepresentation. They are Christian prayers and certainly the prayers in English have a lot of similarities — I do not wish to claim them for any denomination — with the sonorous language of the book of common prayer.