Arising out of the Minister's several replies, will he outline to the House in the briefest form possible in what way this economy is more open now than it was in May 1977?

Perhaps only in that the level of our exporting is much more significant than it was in May 1977 and for that reason the level of our trade has grown considerably over what it was at that time. For that reason obviously it is effective to that extent more than it would have been then. I am glad to tell the Deputy and the House that we are riding the problems very much more successfully than we did before 1977.

If the Minister is so intent and secure in his opinion that we are riding these problems, could he tell us how well they are being ridden? Could he give some degree of evidence in order to back up the assertions he has made?

The pattern is placing us very much at the centre rather than at the bottom or top, as the case might be depending upon which tables we are talking about, of the inflation pattern as well as the employment pattern where previously in that period we were always at the bottom of the wrong table and at the top of the wrong one as well.

The housewife in the supermarket knows where we are with the price of things. She is not interested in statistics.

Order, please.