Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The ESRI did not say that we are going back to the 1980s and nobody wants to do so. As a country we have come a long way from the 1980s. We must move forward and out of the difficulty we are in now. The ESRI has stated that we can get out of this recessionary period but it is down to the Government. The report is clear that this is Government responsibility, as it is Government responsibility for having landed us in the sand in the first place. One of the ESRI suggestions relates to a public sector pay freeze, which is obviously a matter the Taoiseach will discuss with the social partners. Will the Taoiseach repudiate the ministerial pay rise the Cabinet got last year? It would not add a lot to the overall state of the public finances but it would be a signal of where the Taoiseach intends to go.

There is no point in the Taoiseach engaging in great banter here about what the Opposition is suggesting. The Taoiseach is in government and he was the Minister for Finance. The Taoiseach is only giving us generalities in response to the news that there is a recession — sustainable this, moderation that and so on. I want to see the colour of it, I want to know exactly what the Taoiseach is talking about. The Taoiseach is talking about cuts in some public services or reductions or freezes in pay. Perhaps the Taoiseach is talking about taxation measures. I do not know, but we must have it on the table. I ask the Taoiseach how he will handle this. Will he go into conclave for a few months and will we see the measures in the autumn? Will he introduce a mini-budget? Will he make a comprehensive and intelligible statement about the state of the economy and the public finances? The responsibility of the Taoiseach is to restore confidence in the economy.

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