Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

We know and understand that tax revenues are dropping. We expect Government to manage this and have a strategy to deal with it. What assurance can the Taoiseach give the House that as this is managed — he used the term "managed" on a number of occasions in his reply to Deputy Kenny — it will not be those who are least able to bear the burden who are asked to take the pain here? We should not have cuts in essential public services, such as the health services. Low-paid workers, including those working on building sites and elsewhere in the economy should not be asked to take pay cuts as they were by Mr. Parlon yesterday morning. If pain must be inflicted it should be inflicted on those who have benefited most. We should not see a recipe for the future of the economy which will continue to give big tax cuts to wealthy people and inflict pain and income cuts on those least able to bear it.

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