Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The appointment of Deputy White as a Minister of State is a fantastic achievement and we wish him the best.

The witnesses have been very forthright in answering their questions, but they say that in writing their report they did not want to be political and to nuance things, for example, by suggesting that pensions and social welfare rates should be under review. While we do not want to do things that might frighten people internationally, the witnesses could give clarity and state what they believe. When they ask whether the Government will give its views consideration, the council may have to wait a while but it will get the Government's consideration on 8 December or whenever the budget is presented. That is ultimately when we express our views on what the witnesses are saying.

The committee and the debate overall would benefit from the witnesses giving their view on the sustainability issue as they have given this afternoon. They could write that in a report. Their views were extremely clear and they did not hedge around the issue today. They discussed the option of a new bank and they could outline clearly how we could investigate the issue. They have suggested getting information from the CSO regarding where wealth lies and its potential for taxation. They have discussed whether wealth would stay in the country depending on the taxation issues. They could add to the debate on property tax and whether it should be based on site valuation or property valuation by giving clear views.

We did not spend much time this afternoon discussing jobs, nor was there much mention of the matter in the report. Jobs represent the solution to our growth problems. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council could make proposals on how we could get people back to work.