Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

Will it be used to fund such expenditure? It is symptomatic of the Minister's failure to tackle the structural fiscal problems. It is like the budget. We cut capital expenditure which would have resulted in the creation of jobs in the short term and improved infrastructure and increased competitiveness in the long term. The increased VAT rates have affected the retail trade. The structural deficiencies in the economy have not been dealt with because they involve difficult decisions. The Minister has taken the soft policy option. I am disappointed by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin. I have acknowledged in the House previously that he has the intellectual capacity to make good decisions and be a good Minister. Unfortunately, however, he does not have the backbone to follow through on the difficult decisions that need to be made.