Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)

I will make two brief points. Senator Phelan spoke about the widening deficit being faced by the country. The Opposition spokespersons on finance were given the role of communicating that information to the country yesterday. If this side of the House is willing to come forward to engage with the Government on the perilous state the country is in, the Government owes it to the Opposition and the people to provide clarity on the state of the public finances and the hole that needs to be filled. If the Government is to hope this process will work, it needs to reflect on the fact that Deputies Noonan and Burton had to perform that role yesterday. The Opposition is trying to respond in good faith to the fact that Ireland cannot afford to borrow on the money markets. I ask the Government to do the same. The most important 3% figure in this discussion is not whether we should borrow 3% of national income but whether the economy is growing at a rate of 3%. If that 3% level is reached, our budget difficulties will be reduced significantly. That is where a great effort needs to be made.