John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

Whereas we want excellent relations, our sovereignty must be respected. Our passports need to be respected by these countries with which we wish to have excellent relations.

In recent weeks, there was a request in this Chamber for an apology for the economic situation. An explanation was given and the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach dealt with the matter in an open and transparent manner, as requested by the Opposition. In light of the statements by the IMF, OECD, EU and other commentators to the effect that the Government is handling the economy well, will the Opposition benches not do the country a service and leave time for the leaders of their parties to comment on how well the Government has handled the crisis?