Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Commissioner to the House. Since the bank guarantee and the global recession, there is a sense in this country that very little has been done for the people in a European context. Ireland arguably saved the euro by its actions at the beginning of the crisis. Before Europe was up the curve on it, steps were taken here which nobody else was expected to take. Does Germany have an unhealthy influence on the overall fiscal direction that is being determined by Europe? I have noted the Commissioner's own comments that the need for growth policies in parallel to those of austerity must come into play, as President Higgins said this week.

Clearly, people on the ground in Ireland, despite the best efforts of Government, are asking what is being done for them. What does Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn feel Europe can do? Should there be some level of sovereign write-down of debt to facilitate in equipping programme nations to do something on the ground for the people? What can be done tangibly instead of the fluffy talk we have heard about job creation from various countries?