I will not start to speak until the Minister for Finance has taken his seat.

He has a safe seat.

Members may not realise that today is the third anniversary of the re-election of the Government. It is obvious that the Government was re-elected on the basis of clear and specific promises, some of which I will mention. Although it promised to end hospital waiting lists within two years, the most recently published figures indicate that approximately 27,000 people are on waiting lists. It promised to reduce the rate of inflation, but Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. The Government, which has belatedly realised that it has been fostering this country's rip-off culture, will make an announcement in that regard on Wednesday. It promised an improvement in facilities in accident and emergency departments, but the crisis in that regard has worsened to the extent that 368 people were on trolleys in our hospitals in a single day. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform promised 2,000 extra gardaí——

They are coming.

——but just 80 have been delivered in each of the past three years.

They are coming, just like Christmas.

The Government promised to keep taxes down, but instead it has delivered 34 new stealth taxes. I could refer to the failure to deliver a new terminal at Dublin Airport, to complete the introduction of the penalty points system for road traffic offences and to deal with the issue of class sizes.

As the Minister with responsibility for this country's purse strings, does the Minister for Finance accept that the Government's record comprises a series of missed chances of enormous proportions? This tired and jaded Government shoves the same old problems aside because it is unable to deal with them. Does the Minister, Deputy Cowen, not accept some responsibility for the overrun of €4 billion in the cost of transport infrastructure? Although overspending on medical cards has doubled, 61,000 fewer people are in receipt of medical card cover. After eight years in power, three of which have been since the last general election, does the Minister agree that the matters I have mentioned constitute a sad indictment of a Government that has lost its way? Some members of the Government have become arrogant and distant from the electorate. They are looking forward to a long rest in opposition, after the people give their verdict at the next general election, because they are tired and jaded.

It is obvious that the third anniversary of the Government's election has upset greatly the Leader of the Opposition. Based on what the House has heard from Deputy Kenny, it seems that he has a dull view of the world. I do not agree that the investments being made by the Government are not required. I do not accept what he had to say in regard to the state of the economy and country. In a whole range of areas, we are experiencing real improvements. The Deputy referred to transport. There was no public investment in railways or anything else by the outgoing Government before the Fianna Fáil-PD Government took office in 1997. In fact, a railway safety programme was necessary before we could have a railway development programme because the railways had been left in an unsafe condition.

Last weekend I attended a European Union meeting. The EU unemployment rate is averaging 9% and the estimated growth in the European economy is approximately 2% for this year. In the same period, the Irish economy is expected to grow by 5% while unemployment remains at 4.5%. That is better testimony to the management of the economy than the other issues raised. I remind the Deputy that the programme for Government is for a five year period. I have not heard of a Government which was able to complete a five year programme in three years. We intend to complete the programme in a five year period.

It is typical of the responses of Ministers of this Government that they do not accept responsibility for what is happening. I did not disagree with the Minister that these measures were not required; they are required. However, the Minister is in charge of the purse strings. The Comptroller and Auditor General's recent report stated that transport schemes have overrun by €4 billion yet nobody accepts responsibility for this. This happens right along the line. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform promised 2,000 extra gardaí.

They are still coming.

The former Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, repeatedly talked about speed cameras, Dublin Airport and various reports. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, was left with the business of €60 million for electronic voting, which was apparently passed by his predecessor as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with no accountability. The absent former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, refuses to accept any responsibility for a €2 billion charge——

Or for anything else.

——on the public purse arising from his refusal to live up to his ministerial responsibilities or to consider what his brief was when the Secretary General of the Department told him on the steps of the Gresham Hotel, or otherwise, that he should have followed the matter through.

Everybody accepts that we have a strong economy, created on the backs of the workers of Ireland and the multinational firms that built the Celtic tiger. However, with regard to value for money, reform of public services and the fact that the health service employs 30,000 people but only 5,000 of these work in the front line, there is appalling waste and misuse of public funds. The Minister for Finance has failed in his central duty to give value for the people's money — a bang for their buck — and the Government has failed to be one of competency and professionalism, or to deliver major projects on time and on budget.

There is no point stating that the Opposition has a dim view of the world — we do not. We accept that these projects are required but they are not required at exorbitant expense to the taxpayer. The Minister for Finance is charged with the responsibility for financial allocations. As a corporate unit, the Government has failed miserably.

I do not agree, for obvious reasons. To compare the final cost of projects with the costs estimated before the project concepts went to the planning stage is a ridiculous and objectionable line of argument. The Comptroller and Auditor General's report concluded that real project cost overruns due to underestimation was less than 20%, in line with quoted international trends. That was the Comptroller and Auditor General's basic point.

That is not true.

I am sorry, but it is true.

It is not true. I was there, so I know.

Deputy Rabbitte, you are not in order.

Deputy Rabbitte knows it all. That is the problem with him.

The Minister does not know very much.

Order, please. The question is in Deputy Kenny's name.

It is about time the Minister demonstrated a bit of knowledge about his job. He should not distort the figures.

I am not distorting the figures.

Yes, you are.

The Minister without interruption, please.

Deputy Rabbitte is the best distorter of figures in the business. When Deputy Rabbitte hears something he does not like, he makes us all out to be cretins and clowns. That is his name-calling. It is the way he carries on.

The Minister is misrepresenting the Comptroller and Auditor General's report.

He might do it with others but he will not do it with me. It is the old game with him the whole time.

The Minister should not try his pugnacious nonsense on me.

I reiterate that the Comptroller and Auditor General's report concluded that real project cost overruns due to underestimation was less than 20%, in line with quoted international trends. We will point out in the debate which will begin later today the steps the Government is taking to deal with those issues as a policy matter. I make the point to Deputy Kenny that we have been engaged in a modernisation programme in a whole range of areas, including education, health and otherwise, which will be outlined in the debate today and tomorrow. That debate will provide an opportunity for Members to put their case on the public record, hopefully without being subject to the name-calling that has already started.