Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and good morning to everyone. I want to add my voice to the point made by the Minister at the start on the very many migrant workers who are keeping our healthcare services going, and, indeed, many other public services, including public transport. I thank them for all of the work they are doing on behalf of the Irish people. It also raises the question that the Government and, indeed, the Garda authorities, need to be much stronger in tackling the threats to migrant workers in this country, the emergence and growth of right-wing politics in the country and the need to get to grips with that. There was a failure last week to do that and to act on all of the warning signals which were there. There have been warning signals there for quite some time. I have seen it in my own constituency and we have seen it across the country. It underlines the need for all Ministers in government to ensure that this growing threat is tackled.

To move on to the business at hand today, I will start with that letter which Bernard Gloster sent to the Minister before the budget was signed off on. In that letter, he said that nobody in government should be in any doubt about the implications of what was being flagged as the budget figure at that stage. He talked about significant and punitive risks to the public. Does the Minister accept the main thrust of what Bernard Gloster was saying in that letter?