THE opposition was attacked by Mr Pat Rabbitte, of Democratic Left, in a strong defence of the Budget. The Minister of State for Commerce, Science and Technology said it was a disappointing, dispiriting and disheartening Budget for Fianna Fail. "The hapless Soldiers of Destiny see what they consider their natural destiny, slip ever further from their grasp".

The Budget, he said, was not the crushingly selfish, vicious and "cruel" measured favoured by the Progressive Democrats, who were arguing for large scale tax cuts to be paid for by wholesale spending cuts. That was a calculated play for the selfish streak in society and a formula that would undermine the social welfare system, cut back on health spending and consign the least well off to being forever marginalised.

Mr Rabbitte said one year after beginning counselling for loss of "power, Fianna Fail was still in denial. "Deputy Charlie McCreevy took us down to the woods to view the Teddy Bears picnic the truth Deputy McCreevy cannot see the wood for the trees," he said.

"Last year, Deputy McCreevy told us that Democratic Left had no influence and would have no influence on this Government. This year, he tells us the Government is run by Democratic Left. Both statements are nonsense and typical McCreevy bombast."

The people knew Mr McCreevy's performance as Minister for Social Welfare well qualified him for the role of "big bad wolf", said Mr Rabbitte. Despite returning the highest rate of public spending in the last decade in coalition with his PD soul mates, he had been the author of the infamous "dirty dozen" cuts.

The Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr Lowry, said the Budget was prudent, cohesive, imaginative and caring. "Above all, it is a Budget that is tightly focused around the central national objective of creating more jobs for our people."

Accusing the opposition of "limp rhetoric", he said he did not believe people were fooled by attempts to paint a picture of divisions in the Government.

The Fianna Fail spokesman on justice, Mr John O'Donoghue, accused the Minister for Finance of slamming the door on all those who looked to the Government for protection from crime.

"It is a burglars' Budget with a message that is clear and worth remembering. If you are old, alone and afraid, this Government has abandoned you. If you are young and vulnerable, this Government has no protection to offer you."

In the past year, he said, the Minister for Justice had shown the consistency of direction of weather vane. "Why should we be surprised by the revolving prison door policy when it is being implemented by a revolving Minister? At a time when leadership and direction are needed in the fight against crime, the Taoiseach has entrusted responsibility to a Minister who has engineered more policy pirouettes in a year in office than most ballerinas execute in a lifetime."

The Fianna Fail spokesman on Labour, Mr Tom Kitt, said, the Budget had failed dismally in a number of specific areas the current borrowing requirement, the crucial issues of PRSI and tax and their relationship to employment creation, corporation tax and the small business sector.

The Minister for Education Ms Breathnach, said before the abolition of full time undergraduate fees, 37,000 of the 88,000 people in third level education paid fees. Students from families with incomes over £60,000 a year could have enough tax saving on covenants to pay college fees but there was public disquiet that families of modest means had to struggle to pay fees for third level.

That was changed to a system which was fair to all. "It will I hope, reverse the trend where, in contrast to every other socio economic group, the children of families of modest means, the children of nurses, teachers and public servants, actually saw their participation rates at third level fall while participation rates from every other group rose."