Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

——and arrogance of gross order that on every opportunity the Taoiseach flees from the House and does not come here to do his duty. The Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, can write about it in his column on Sunday if he wishes.

I ask the Tánaiste, as the anointed one in filling in for the Taoiseach, about the figures published yesterday which show that the Government has turned last year's surplus of €900 million into a deficit of €1.4 billion. In the first half of the year the Government increased the rate of current spending at two and a half times the rate of growth in tax revenue. It is clear that if this pattern continues, the figures at the end of the year will be much worse than those forecast by the Government a few months ago. I ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to confirm that the tax cuts his party promised before the general election will not now take place. What is the position on the promise made to the people before the general election about tax cuts?

See this speech in context