This week marks the end of the first year of the Taoiseach's second term in Government and almost six years since he first became Taoiseach. I ask the Taoiseach to reflect for a few moments on that past six years? This week also marks the price of a modest home in Dublin being close to €250,000 whereas private rented accommodation comes at a crucifying cost for those who cannot afford the house costing €250,000. The health service which Fianna Fáil grievously wounded in the 1980s' cutbacks is now under severe threat again. Wexford General Hospital is threatened with closure, refurbished wings of Blanchardstown Hospital, incredibly, may not be able to open because of shortage of funds. A most appalling cutback has taken place in respite care for carers of intellectually handicapped young people, with desperate parents forced to take their case on to the streets of Dublin.

At the same time, obscene profiteering continues in land speculation. The chief executives of the major corporations are raking in more than €1 million in income each year. Huge profiteering exists in the banking sector. Would it not be a fair summary of the Taoiseach's six years in office to say that his policies have sated the greed of the speculator, the rack-renter, the financier and the profiteering cabal in certain services?

His policy as Taoiseach ensured a huge and continuing transfer of wealth from working people and poor people to the minority of big corporations, big finance and the big players in the building industry. I ask the Taoiseach to be very specific in his answer. Is it his intention to continue with this policy if he has another four years left? Is it credible to think that he might change course, reverse the policy-driven shift of transfers from those who produce most of the wealth who are ordinary working people, to the wealthy minority and thereby find the resources to restore the services that are under so much threat and to stop the profiteering and the suffering it is causing for ordinary working people and young people, in particular, needing a home?

I will deal first with the areas where I agree with the Deputy before dealing with that with which I disagree. Wherever there is any unreasonable profiteering within the system and wherever people are taking what they should not be able to take, I will continue to operate such policy measures as the Government has done in the past through the Bacon reports, the two Planning and Development Acts and Part V of the Act which deals with the integration of social housing and whatever other measures are required to make the system fairer and at the same time increase supply of houses so that people can obtain a home. Compared to the past, enormous resources are now being given to address the issue of homelessness and voluntary and social housing issues.

I disagree with the Deputy on the other issues he raised. What any Government must do is create the economic circumstances whereby the ordinary people referred to by the Deputy and whom he and I represent, are given the opportunity to have a job, a quality of life and the dignity of work. In a few years and not all within my period of office, we have seen 600,000 additional people in employment and the expansion of home ownership. We have seen a move away from the policies that discourage inward investment. There is a fair tax regime for both corporate and personal tax so that can generate the wealth and resources needed to put into services. In the past decade and in the past six years we have been able to make enormous increases in public expenditure and to help in the areas of health, education, social welfare and other areas. This is due to the mix of policies which are not directed on any basis that is unfair. I assure the Deputy that we will continue to attempt to address the outstanding issues.

I represent ordinary people and I do not believe the Taoiseach really does because his Government has implemented a policy of very specifically enriching a minority at the expense of ordinary people. Many people will find it quite amazing that after six years we now have the Taoiseach tilting at the windmills that many of us have been pointing to for the past six years, the profiteering by those cabals who are making life so difficult for ordinary people.

Given that the Minister may have another four years – perhaps the term of the Government will end long before then – he could make decisions which would have a significant impact on services and the lives of ordinary people from the lower to the greater end of the scale. He could even powder his own nose and redirect the resources that go into that into areas of social necessity.

The Deputy's minute has concluded.