Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government must balance the need for foreign direct investment and to create jobs. Senator Colm Burke is right: when we took over in government, 15% of citizens were unemployed; today the figure is 7.1%. That means more men and women are at work, contributing to the State in order that more can be spent on health services. There is an extra €2.6 billion for capital infrastructure, but Senator Rose Conway-Walsh's party wants to tax people and spend, while forgetting about the borrowing constraints and the need to save for a rainy day. It cannot be done. They are not adolescents at home who are depending on mummy and daddy for pocket money. The State has an obligation to spend and provide for its citizens. That is what we will do.