Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Every Department has ambitions. The troika had slated €2 billion in actual reductions in spending programmes and increases in taxes. Instead, this year, because of our strong performance - not a small amount of it driven by my Department through employment programmes - we were actually able to put €1 billion back into the economy. We have been able to cut universal social charge, USC, rates, push out income levels at which USC cuts in, bring down the top rate of tax and push out the rate at which the top rate cuts in. We have been able to make changes which have been significant achievements. It shows that we are managing scarce resources in an innovative way and delivering the sort of change that everyone desires.