Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

Would the Leader facilitate a debate as a matter of urgency on the Ministers and Secretaries Act in light of the revelations of ministerial expenses and the revelations regarding spending by the Ceann Comhairle? Will the Leader indicate who is responsible for signing off on the expense sheet? Will he agree with me, and if he does not will he explain the reason, that Government spending in terms of the expenses of Ministers, Ministers of State and their entourage is excessive and gone beyond the bounds of acceptability? It is extraordinary that a Minister who has a State car can get into a plane and land in Cork, Knock, Galway, Waterford or Dublin where a driver is waiting to collect him or her. They have a plethora of constituency staff. They also have a plethora of advisers who in some cases are paid more than Members of this House. That is extraordinary and it must stop. Would the Leader agree with me on that?

I ask for a debate on the economy. The point I made yesterday is that the most important issue currently is job creation and job retention. As Senator Healy Eames said earlier, what will we do for the people who cannot pay their mortgage or the small and medium enterprise holder who is in trouble? The banks will not give them liquidity. They will not even give them overdrafts.

Three times since I came into this House I have asked the Leader for a debate on the aviation industry. The revelation by Aer Lingus this morning is catastrophic and has far-reaching implications in terms of job and service cuts. We could soon find ourselves the only peripheral island nation without an airline other than Ryanair and if there is no competition in this country, we will in time be forced to pay higher air fares to leave this island.