Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

We are representing the honest, poor taxpayer. The ESRI has said that 10% of our people will be unemployed next year. What are we doing? We are breaking up now, as Senator Buttimer said, for five weeks to go away and forget about the whole thing.

The Minister, Deputy Lenihan, said he realised only in July what was coming down the tracks, even though the Taoiseach, Deputy Cowen, was previously the Minister for Finance. What is going on? What are we doing?