Is austerity working? YES

AFTER two-and-a-half years in office the Government is delivering on its plan to restore order to the public finances, to get the economy out of the crisis it was in and growing again, and to get people back to work.

From being forced to turn to the lenders of last resort in Nov 2010, Ireland’s recovery is well underway and, over the past two-and-a-half years, real progress has been made.

Supporting jobs and getting people back to work is our number one priority and is at the heart of our economic policies. We are making progress with jobs being created again and we are on track to emerge from the bailout at the end of the year and make a full and sustainable return to the financial markets.