Budget in Ireland's 'long-term interest'

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today insisted the decisions taken in the Budget were in the long-term interests of Ireland.

Speaking at a jobs announcement in Bray, Co Wicklow by the US multi-national Nypro this morning, Mr Kenny said it would be easier politically for the Government if it were in a position to give money out to people.

“The decisions we are making are in the nation’s interests and in the long term interests of our people,” he said.

He said “hard-pressed, middle-income earners” will never be able to get out of their difficulties unless opportunities are provided.

“When we get over these current difficulties, there is higher ground and better days ahead.”

He said it was “probably the toughest budget of this administration” and understandably difficult for people to accept. “It is important that we understand the scale of Ireland’s pragmatism in understanding that it is never easy to change from what he inherited to where we want to be,” he said. “We want to be free from the bailout programme. We want to make ourselves as a country more competitive, therefore more attractive for foreign direct investment (FDI) and for small and medium enterprises.”

He said Budget 2013 would “fulfil the mandate we have been given by the people which is not easy to fulfil. It would be so much more satisfactory to have Ministers in Government stand up and say, ‘yes we have this pot to give out to people’ and so much easier from a political perspective.”

The Taoiseach said the Government had been given a mandate to sort out the country’s financial problems and deal with structures that are “incompetent and inefficient”.

That, he said, is never easy. "It is a time for conviction and courage and a time for understanding and emphasising with the patience of the Irish people," he said.  “In order to get this right changes must be made, changes in some cases that are difficult to accept. We understand that every day of the week.”