Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

The job of the Government at the end of the day is to balance the books and that is not an easy task. Hard choices will have to be made and people have many questions and concerns. Even though the Opposition is small in number, it is vital that we use the opportunity we have in this debate to tease out every issue. I would not like too much grandstanding but there are issues and they are being discussed.

I come from rural Ireland and I have been approached about issues in this Bill. One of the reasons I was approached by people was they do not have a great deal of knowledge about what is involved. That is understandable given the debate on the legislation is just under way. However, reflecting on the correspondence I have received over the past number of days, it is clear there is a great deal of interest in what is happening here. I was asked earlier why this Bill is taking so long to go through. The message we are getting is there is a perception among the public that it will amplify the urban-rural divide. Over the past quarter of a century, we have tried to minimise this divide by ensuring fair play for urban and rural communities when an issue is raised.