Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the excessive deficit procedure. This will be the first year in which there is growth in consumption. The rate was -0.3% in 2012 and -1.1% in 2013.

We are looking at 2% in 2014. These are Government figures. Is there a danger that if there are the full €2 billion of cuts this year, and Deputy Humphreys referred to this earlier, it will have an adverse impact on consumption? There comes a point where there must be a balance between the human and the financial. We constantly hear from people about the financial pressure on them. If they are not spending and they do not have money to spend, that must have an impact on growth. The question is weighing that up. I know the aim is to get out of the excessive deficit procedure by 2015. Bearing in mind that 2014 is the first year we will see consumption growth, has that been factored into the council's deliberations?