Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----but we are not in favour of writing bad rules into our laws. We do want the Government to get the deficit under control, but we do not believe the policies that are currently being implemented are helping the situation. In fact, they are exacerbating the crisis. Even when the policies are having an impact on the deficit, it comes at a great cost to the economy and society at large. Last year, we were told that the austerity treaty was a necessity that would be a turning point for our economic fortunes.