Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I always come to this committee to engage in as open a way as a I can, more in hope than in expectation that Parliament might act like Parliament and engage on these issues in a serious and mature way as opposed to the completely partisan way that we just heard. Hope springs eternal and I do my best always to ask Members of the Oireachtas to step up to the plate of being real providers of proper analysis as opposed to people who make partisan points entirely.

I do not know where to begin. The Deputy described the document as not true and lacking credibility. It is what it is, a comprehensive analysis of every Government Department presented in a way that has never happened previously in this country. We never previously had the type of budgetary analysis that is now provided. Is it perfect? Certainly not, but it is a work in progress. However, I would like it to be a work in progress with which somebody might positively engage, as opposed to being dismissed by the person for partisan reasons, with no interest in improving the product but just in scoring silly points in my judgment.