Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Fitzgerald. We called for debates on various aspects of the economy such as pensions, mortgages and unemployment. Given the current economic climate, there is a list of debates we could demand. However, on every occasion we asked for such a debate, we did not see the Minister for Finance in the House. He must come into the House and engage with Members in a constructive way on the economy. Can the Leader ensure the Minister will be present when he arranges the next debate? I say this with all due respect to the Ministers of State who attend, but the issue is far too serious for the senior Minister to ignore. There has been little co-operation between the Government and the Opposition on how we can get ourselves out of the mess in which we find ourselves. There were various soundings on pre-budget submissions but in words only. In practice, there is no genuine attempt by the Government to seek constructive proposals from the Opposition. In the media this morning we read that the Government is bringing the social partners with it every step of the way, yet it excludes the Opposition. That is unwise and the folly of the Government will be very clear in the not too distant future.

I ask that the Leader arrange a debate on spiralling fuel prices. In May the average price of a litre of petrol was €1.08, it is now €1.16. It is almost up to €1.20 and beyond in some cases. This is crippling for motorists, particularly those living in rural areas. Bus Éireann has initiated a slate of cost cutting proposals which have affected many areas, not least west Cork. The Skibbereen to Baltimore service has been affected; the proposal effectively cuts islanders off from the mainland. With spiralling fuel prices, this leads me to call on the Government to take some action. Every time there is an increase in the price of fuel, the Government receives 33 cent on a litre of diesel and 44 cent on a litre of petrol. There is VAT of 21% on the overall cost. This is a revenue generating exercise for the Government which is doing very well out of this. I ask the appropriate Minister to debate the excise take of the Government and take some action to ease the pressure on motorists.