Dan Boyle (Green Party)

The Fine Gael Party produced an exaggerated rate of economic growth, which it was not possible to achieve, either then or now. We are not in a national or international recession, nor is the economy stagnation. The worst thing to happen to the economy, still one of the best performers in Europe, is that the rate of economic growth has slowed.

Valid criticisms can be made of the way in which resources are apportioned in our economy and the transfer of decision making responsibility from the Government to external agencies. The health service is an obvious example of the latter trend. Questions should be asked about the decisions by agencies to cut various services despite receiving increased allocations every year. The argument made by Fine Gael amounts to nothing more than name calling and hand waving.