It is important that there be honesty about the budget to be announced next week. It will not be a giveaway budget, as the Minister has said, but the priority at our end is to protect the fragile economy, continue to get people back to work and see fewer unemployed and more employed. We want people to have a decent quality of life. That is what we all aspire to achieve.

Senator Lynn Ruane made reference to the women in Poland. It is their entitlement and right to protest and have their voices heard. The same applies to the children from St. Mochta's national school who were protesting this morning. I am not familiar with the school, but I would be very happy to talk about it.

Senators Denis Landy and Diarmuid Wilson raised the issue of councillors' pay. If Senator Denis Landy had been here yesterday, he would have heard Senator Gerard P. Craughwell and others raise the issue. The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, are committed to examining councillors' pay and conditions and class K pension contributions. Unlike his predecessor, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government is actually committed to doing something. There was nothing done when the former Minister responsible for local government, Deputy Alan Kelly, was in office. We have checked it out.

That is incorrect.

It is not; it is actually correct. Nothing happened.

There is now no place to hide; the Senator cannot blame us. The cover is gone.

What I said yesterday-----

I heard what the Senator said.

-----is what I will say again today.

The Leader's cover is gone; he cannot blame the Labour Party anymore. It is up to Fine Gael to decide whether it wants to do it.

I repeat that we all share the same view and want to arrive at the same end point. It is important that we work together. I spoke to the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government this morning with a view to meeting the group that has been set up. The Minister is committed to doing so. There is no point in any of us individually trying to solve something. As I said yesterday, it is important that we stand together.

Absolutely.

Let us do so and not throw cheap shots as has happened this morning.

I am entitled to ask a question.

I accept that.

That is the purpose of this House. I asked the question in a respectful manner and the Leader could have answered it in the same manner. It is unbelievable.