John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

It is clear from the treaties, which all of us debated and worked and voted for, that the Irish people are the only people who can change our tax status from which foreign industrial companies have benefited.

There are times when we need to commend the benefits of the tough decisions made by Government. The fact that farm incomes grew by 34% in real terms in 2010 is something from which we should all take comfort. I am quite conscious that we have set strong targets for exports from farming to help us to grow this economy. With that in mind, I look forward to the debates which will take place on the carbon emissions legislation to see how we can reconcile the necessary growth from the farming community and the very stiff regulations which will be put in place. I am sure our Green Party colleagues will be able to outline how that will be done in the coming months.