John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on communications. I am very conscious of the import Eircom has for the Irish economy. It is suggested that what can only be described as a vulture fund would take over Eircom, a strategic national asset, strip it of its assets, reduce the number of employees and prevent the necessary development that is ongoing and essential to our economy to benefit from the coming upswing in the world economy.

I contrast this with how much has been done in many areas. It is very easy to have a knee-jerk reaction and say everything was wrong for the last ten years. We have had some wonderful developments in our housing stock, motorways and infrastructure in general. Notwithstanding that, there are areas which still need to be developed, including communications, and there is much good and necessary work being done, which will create gainful employment for people which will benefit this economy and our competitiveness in the future.

It does not benefit anybody for the Opposition to talk down the economy. It seems that whatever is the choice of the day in the newspapers is the view we get on this economy, and it is always the worst possible. The reality is that world economies are expected to pick up and then, and only then, will we see how well prepared this economy and country is for the future.