Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

We have heard a lot about the sustainability of the total national debt, which now stands at 120% of GDP. If memory serves me correctly, interest payments must be close to €9 billion per year. What is the council's comment on that situation? Is it sustainable and what do the markets think about it? What are the prospects for the debt, particularly interest rates, which are a horrific drain on society from resources that should otherwise be going into developing social services and investment? What will happen over the next three or four years?