Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I again welcome the representatives of the Fiscal Advisory Council to the committee. They have provided a wealth of data that we can pore over. I have not been able to go through all the data since the report was published but it is good to see that an analysis has been done on housing. That issue will be monitored in future so we should revert it.

It is regrettable that we and the public end up focusing on one line in the data, which is the overall adjustment figure, although that is important. More important is where the adjustment is made, be it in public services, the low-paid or highly-paid, but that is outside the council's remit. That is the real debate on those type of adjustments. Given the amount of detail and research that has gone into the report, however, it is a pity to focus on only one aspect.

Having said that, I do not agree that society can take a €2 billion adjustment in the next budget. I understand the authority that the Fiscal Advisory Council has been given is to ensure that we meet the rules under the fiscal compact or austerity treaty. If that is the council's task, it is important for it to ensure that the State meets the rules in acting prudently, conservatively and cautiously.