Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

The economy would not be in such a state if the Government had managed the public finances properly and prudently instead of wasting taxpayers' money on schemes such as PPARS and electronic voting machines, to which Senator Coffey referred, and many other daft projects which were not thought through in a meaningful or serious manner. One need only consider the establishment of the many quangos which duplicated other services. Only now has it dawned on the Government that it must address waste in this area, although it has of course failed to provide details of what action it intends to take.

The Government's decision to halt decentralisation and reduce spending on consultancies, advertising and public relations is merely a belated recognition of the amount of taxpayers' money that has been wasted in these areas in recent years. Yesterday's dazed and confused response shows that the Government is failing, even now, to come to terms with the seriousness of the recession which we are in and for which it is largely responsible. That with which we were presented is not a plan, it is a mixture of ideas and promises of reviews. The Government's response has not been thought through and is completely lacking in detail.

A breakdown has not been provided in respect of from where the €1 billion in savings to be made in 2009 will come. No detail has been given regarding the cutbacks that will be introduced in the areas of health and education. There is no guarantee that front-line services will be protected. There is no breakdown regarding the current-capital savings that are being proposed and there is no indication that Ministers will be held responsible in the context of meeting targets in respect of such savings. The latter is a key point where the Government is concerned because no one is prepared to accept responsibility. There has been no accountability on the part of the Government for the past ten years. How can we believe that it will suddenly become responsible and accountable?

What we needed from the Government yesterday was the introduction of a strategy to reduce inflation, tackle matters relating to competitiveness and bring about real reform. Instead, it failed to introduce anti-inflation provisions and has done nothing to assist those who are out of work or the property market.

A spin was put on matters to the effect that there would be no cutbacks in health or education. However, today's newspapers refer to €144 million in cuts in the area of health. It appears that this is only the tip of the iceberg. It has emerged that the HSE plans to introduce cuts totalling over €190 million. These will have an impact across the board, including on patient care. Some €38 million was allocated in the budget in respect of cancer care developments, disability care and services for the elderly. However, action in respect of these matters has now been put on hold. That is the legacy of this Government.

It was announced yesterday that there will be a €45 million reduction in the figure for overseas development aid. This represents another attack on the most vulnerable and poorest people on the planet.

Those on the Government side have indicated that the fundamentals of the economy remain strong. The greatest problem relating to the economy is the fact that the Government allowed Irish people to become the most indebted in Europe and allowed Ireland to become the most expensive country in which to live and do business. That is another aspect of the Government's legacy.

The Government must live with the mistakes it made during the 11 years in which it has been in power. The chickens have come home to roost. If those opposite think we are going to bail them out, they have another think coming.