Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all the guests. There are two ways of looking at the budget. One is to say that it has to meet the deficit target set out, which should be €3.1 billion. The other is to say that we can meet the targets by having a much less austere budget. Do the witnesses have a general opinion on what budgetary measures should be taken, considering that the toughness of the budget will have a disproportionate effect on carers and those parts of our society which depend so much on direct payments from the State?

I get a sense from the IFA's submission and comments that there is a sense of hope or expectation that things might be turning or improving a little and that the agricultural sector can be a leader in the Irish economy to get us out of where we are. Could the IFA representatives expand on that a little as to how they feel matters are progressing?

I will ask a controversial question on maintenance and college grants. I want to tease it out without being adversarial. I understand the IFA's position - the self-employed have a similar view - on the proposal that productive assets be taken into consideration for maintenance grants. We spend approximately €300 million on third-level grants. The suggestion is that productive assets of €750,000 would be taken into consideration. If that figure is far too low for the IFA's estimation, is there a figure that could be worked around - €1 million, €2 million, €3 million, €5 million? Or does the IFA have an opinion on the level of savings an individual might have to suggest that he or she does not need a maintenance grant to send his or her child to college? Somebody who had €250,000 in his or her bank account was entitled to everything the Department of Education and Skills could give to send his or her child to college. I am not deliberately trying to cause a row, but the best thing we can do is to toss around these ideas and see what the IFA's thinking is on this.