Mr. Fergal O'Brien:

I will not add to the evidence base the committee has heard from the ESRI with regard to its analysis of the distribution impacts of the budget. I will make two observations. First, we need to be conscious that if it was not for the exceptional revenue stream coming through from our corporate tax receipts, we would be running a deficit at the moment. Clearly, we very much see the limits of what the Government can or should be doing, particularly with regard to permanent expenditure increases. Second, as we are commenting on once-off measures from a business perspective, a particular focus of ours has been the cost increases which have been placed on business. There is a one-off package to support business with those increases. As those increases are permanent, we would argue that we need a much more effective transitionary support for the challenges which businesses are going to face in the years ahead.