We must salute and commend Senator Darragh O’Brien in his attempts to find something negative to say today. It really is a remarkable achievement to be able to find a way to criticise the hard work and sacrifice of the people that enabled the economy to turn around.

Give me a break. Come on.

Senator Gilroy should sit down.

Is Senator O'Brien now saying that it was not the people who made the sacrifice?

It was. We know it was.

If it was not the people whom Fianna Fáil is prepared to say made the sacrifice-----

If Senators have personal antagonism, they should please stick to the subject and avoid comment.

What is the Senator talking about?

-----perhaps it was the negativity that Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin poured out for the past four years that has turned the country around. On every occasion when the Government announced a target, Senator O’Brien criticised it and said it was unachievable. He said it was announced that we would create the conditions to-----

What about prescription charges?

When it was announced in 2012 that we would create the conditions to create 90,000 jobs, Senator O’Brien and his party were the first out of the traps saying it cannot be done. In that time 100,000 jobs have been created. When it was announced that we were reducing the VAT rate to 9% to stimulate employment and activity in the tourism sector, Senator O’Brien, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin said it could not be done.

I argued against the pension levy that took €2 billion out of the economy.

The reduced VAT rate has been a great success. No commentator would think differently. When we said we would remove 400,000 people from the universal social charge, which Fianna Fáil introduced in 2010 and it kicked in at €4,000, they said it could not be done.

Senator Gilroy should stand with Kathleen again in the next election.

By the end of the year 500,000 people will be removed from USC. Senator O’Brien is calling for a debate on the economic recovery, which has been driven by the people, and would like to have one or both Ministers in the Chamber to discuss it. I am fully in favour of that and endorse his views on it. I recognise that it is not possible to do it today but as soon as possible. We will all support that call.

Whatever about being negative, I am positive about the future of this country.

Well done.

There is a big difference between challenging unfair Government policies as we see them and being negative. I support positive and fair policies and I want to see a fair recovery.

What is the Senator doing in Sinn Féin?

The Senator chastised people for interrupting him so now it is his turn to listen to what is being said. The quarrel from the Opposition in recent years has not been about any attempt to reduce the deficit or create jobs but how unfair the adjustment has been on many working families.

Despite what we will get from the Government over the next few days, statement after statement, Minister after Minister patting themselves on the back, commending themselves on what a great and wonderful job they think they have done, many families who do not feel any recovery and are living in poverty will be very angry. A total of 20% of all workers in this State are in low-paid jobs. The Minister for Finance made some very outlandish commitments on job creation today when he said we will pass the 2 million mark in employment next year. I do not see how, if 60,300 net jobs have been created over the past four years, the Government will increase that by 50% over the next couple of years. I will see exactly how that plays out, although obviously we would welcome it if it does happen.

Fewer people are employed in the west, where the figure has fallen by 4,800 since the Government took office, there are 5,000 fewer employed in the south west, and while there has been some marginal improvement in the south east recently, unemployment there is still well above the national average. There are huge regional disparities. Many young people continue to emigrate despite the Government saying it wants to bring people back. Patients are lying on hospital trolleys and people wait longer than 12 months to see a consultant despite promises made.

People with disabilities still have problems accessing services. There is no timeframe regarding when any of the cruel social welfare cuts will be reversed by this Government. We can all celebrate a recovery and uplift and the fact that there may be €1.5 billion extra to spend. My quarrel with the Government parties is how that money will be spent, whether any recovery will be fair and whether we will see a dividend to those people who have paid a disproportionate price for the sacrifices made by the Irish people. I am calling for a debate on a fair recovery. It would be useful for us to have this debate in the Chamber because there is much talk of recovery but is it fair and equitable and who is benefiting from it? I do not think cutting the top rate of tax for the top earners when there are such levels of poverty across the State would be considered fair.