Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

He is a frequent visitor. He obviously likes it here. The budget has been in place for virtually two months. The hallmark of a budget is to set in place an overarching vision and framework of where a Government is at. Operating with limited resources, a budget should be about what one wishes to achieve with the resources available. First, that should be about spreading those resources in the fairest way possible. I see Fine Gael as party that is very much pro-enterprise. We want to create an environment where people create jobs. It is not a sin to create a job. Equally, we have to look after workers and we also must look after less well-off people who have fallen on trouble times. We must ensure that people do not fall through the cracks and that they can come back.

On those measures, and with the resources available to us, dealing with the issue in terms of being pro-enterprise and in respect of families, we have sought to push measures to expand the standard rate bands. The Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, was very much to the forefront in highlighting this prior to the budget and was trying to push its inclusion in the budget. I welcome the mortgage interest relief. I see that as the start of a process in which we look at all times to take the pressure off hardworking families. I agree with my colleague Senator Wilson, who admirably stepped into the shoes of his colleague, Senator Horkan, and delivered his contribution with aplomb but the issue really is that the-----