David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all of the witnesses. Members will need the two slots as there are a lot of issues to be raised. I have, at least, six that I want to raise and will certainly not get to raise all of them in the first round of questions. Most of my queries relate to national, but there are two regional issues. Mr. Connaghan is aware that all politics is local. While there are two issues that are important to me, they have wider implications for the State. The problems we have in the south east also seem to manifest elsewhere. I will, therefore, offer them up as examples more than anything else.

I shall start with the deficit. In his opening statement the Comptroller and Auditor General said the deficit was €140 million. Mr. Connaghan has said total the revenue deficit was €165 million, but that it includes funding to section 38 organisations. Is that correct? Is it the case that the overall deficit is €165.9 million?