Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

It is becoming increasingly clear that the so-called package which was announced with great fanfare by the Government yesterday, is only a very small picture of what it has in store for the people in the coming months. It would appear that yesterday's announcement was packaged for public relations purposes. It contained a number of high profile items such as ministerial pay and a reduction in public relations' budgets. I believe this was the tenth occasion on which the Government announced it would cut the cost of tribunals.

Yesterday, when I asked the Taoiseach how much the 3% cut in payroll would come to, he said it amounted to €250 million between now and the end of 2009. That leaves €1.25 billion to be made up as regards the cuts the Government is planning. The detail of the announcements made yesterday is a long way from that €1.25 billion. Already we see a drip-drip effect starting to take place. Deputy Kenny referred to the fair deal package for people in nursing homes, which has now been put on hold. This means that people in nursing homes and their families are being asked to bear the burden as regards the state of the public finances. We are told that more cuts will be announced next week by the HSE. There has been a cut in €45 million in real terms in overseas development aid, and there is speculation today that some 5,000 jobs are to go in the public service.

Instead of having this type of drip-drip feed of sneaky cuts and stealth taxes emerging during the summer months, will the Taoiseach give the House the full picture as regards what the Government intends, before the Dáil goes into recess? I want to ask him again, because he did not answer yesterday, what is in the package to address the needs of people suffering most from the downturn in the economy. These are the people who are losing their jobs. Some 54,000 people have lost their jobs in the last year. Since 2 May, when Deputy Cowen became Taoiseach, more than 25,000 people have lost their jobs. That is nearly 600 for every working day he has been Taoiseach. Those people are entitled to know what the Government is going to do to get them back to work and secure their future — as well as the future of the many other people who are worried they will lose their jobs in the months ahead.

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