John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Ministers and their officials are very welcome. I wish to commend both Ministers. Given how we have emerged in very recent times from an economy that was almost completely shut in terms of people’s ability to go to work, but not in terms of economic activity, I would like to re-emphasise one of the starting figures. Growth in employment of 9% is a figure that is easy to glide over. Some 220,000 additional people at work is a very positive figure to report.

At this time of the year, the Ministers will know from previous budgetary oversight meetings that we would be looking at the themes that might be beginning to emerge in budget planning and budget preparation. Do they have any little insights that they can give us on what the drivers of budget 2024 are likely to be?