Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

We are meeting on what is an extremely difficult day for Ireland. It is clear our biggest asset is the resilience of the people, as we saw last night in some of the contributions made on "The Frontline" programme. Nevertheless, even in spite of their resilience, many are very nervous and scared; they are worried about their pensions, deposits and the cutbacks to be made and are asking questions about what will happen at this time of crisis. While I have no doubt Irish people have the resilience to deal with what confronts us, it is clear that they need leadership, clarity and consistency, qualities that have not been evident in recent times. People do not believe they have been led well or that the policies adopted have worked. The figures have changed consistently and this has created considerable insecurity.

Ireland is on the brink today. It is extremely disturbing, as citizens and Members of the Oireachtas, to read in national and international newspapers headlines that Ireland must take the EU bailout or trigger a crisis, that Germany is pushing Ireland to accept help and so forth. This is the position we are in and we must move forward. While we do not know what will be the outcome of the discussions tonight in Brussels, we all want them to be successful. Members of the public want a new Government with a mandate to implement what will be extraordinary difficult decisions in the weeks and months ahead. I, therefore, ask the Leader to arrange a debate tomorrow on the outcome of the meetings tonight. The Seanad must discuss the issue if it is to have credibility. Senators could find out the outcome of the discussions and take the opportunity to express their views on it.

The Fine Gael Party will continue to take a responsible position in the weeks and months ahead, which will be a critical time for the country. We need the best thinking of Members across the party divide. My party is clear on what should be the way forward. However, the Government has not been consistent or clear and has not shown good leadership or authority in the past year. This is an extraordinarily difficult time. As I stated, our best asset is the resilience of the people, as they have shown time and again. The period ahead will demand greater resilience from each and every one of them.