Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

People express dismay at the very rapid deterioration in the public finances. It is hard to believe that while the Minister was in office, a surplus of €2.3 billion has turned to a predicted deficit this year of €6 billion, if we are fortunate. This has occurred on the back of the Minister ignoring repeated warnings from bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to the effect that his budgetary stance was inappropriate and that building permanent spending programmes on the back of temporary revenue from the building boom was not sustainable.

Does the Minister now believe the statements he issued and which were the core of his strategy for the public finances? The strategy was to keep the budget in broad balance, secure a declining debt, which was to be close to zero in 2012, deliver on the national development plan in full, resulting in the expenditure of €184 billion, and make improvements to spending programmes. Does he believe this approach, which is the core of the existing programme for Government, is still feasible? If he does not believe it is feasible, will he outline how he intends to ensure Ministers, in making their plans, will make a realistic assessment of what is likely to be available in the coming years? The Minister will be aware that, as recently as last week, the HSE was planning a massive hospital. According to one Minister, there is not a red cent to deliver it. Something is going seriously wrong and there needs to be a corrective approach.

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