Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I have the utmost respect for every Member of both Houses of the Oireachtas and 99.99% of us are here to try to create a better country for the people whom we serve; it is an incredible honour and privilege to sit in either House. This includes Senator Cullinane, as my respect extends to everybody who operates in this environment. However, in recent weeks my respect for Sinn Féin has begun to dwindle.

We are operating in an incredibly difficult economic environment. This is a fact and Senator Cullinane must admit this as must I. In Northern Ireland, 100 miles up the road, there is an equally difficult - some might argue an even more difficult - economic environment because of the cuts handed down to the Northern Ireland Government by the UK Government based in London. This has required Sinn Féin in government in Northern Ireland to make very difficult decisions, which it is willing to stand over, 100 miles away.

According to research I carried out earlier today the Northern Ireland Government proposes to cut €2.3 billion from its health budget next year. This will probably require redundancies in the order of 4,000 posts, including some enforced redundancies. This action prompted 26,000 health care workers to go on a one-day strike in Northern Ireland last September. If Sinn Féin is willing to acknowledge, and be honest in facing up to, these challenges 100 miles away - and they are definitely difficult economic challenges - why can it not be equally honest in this environment?