Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

Members on the Government side of the House will have been well informed that the public finances are in a parlous state. We have to ask who put us here and what will be the outcome. However, we have to look forward also. If we do not take radical action quickly, we will put the future pensions of the elderly and retired civil servants at stake. The salaries of public servants will also come under pressure because of the state of the public finances, which is a concern. We have to be worried about what will happen because of the deterioration in the public finances. The problem requires a rapid solution. It is, unfortunately, a mess into which the Government has walked us. That is one of the reasons Fine Gael wishes to see if it can contribute to finding a solution. The Government is highly discredited and it is with gritted teeth that we will go into discussions with the Government that has landed us in such a mess.