Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I join with those who have extended best wishes to the Minister for Finance. Come the moment, come the man. No man is better equipped politically to deal with the situation and I wish him well with the budget.

Will the Leader arrange a debate on the Army's presence in Chad? An Post cannot deliver Christmas supplies from their families to the troops in Chad because there is no infrastructure there. PDFORRA has asked the Army to ensure supplies are delivered to the troops on the ground. I am confident Lieutenant General Dermot Earley, Chief of Staff of the Army, will ensure our troops are provided with Christmas gifts from their families and vice versa. We must give support to these troops who are in a dangerous situation in Chad and I hope the Leader will arrange a debate on the future of the mission there, which is set to conclude in March but which could be extended. I wish our troops every success and I hope the budget will not adversely affect them or the barracks at home.

I also hope the budget will ensure that where contracts have been signed and sites acquired under the decentralisation programme, the projects will proceed because they are important for the development of the regions.