Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I assure Deputy Richard Bruton that he will be briefed subsequent to the end-September forecast. I will do everything in my power to ensure he is properly briefed in what I appreciate is a tight budgetary cycle in time terms. It is clear the scale of the economic and fiscal challenges require us as a Government to take immediate steps to ensure Ireland is fiscally sustainable in the years ahead. Bringing the budget forward allows us to present a balanced and coherent plan to address the difficulties we now face. It also focuses everyone's mind on the absolute necessity to take corrective measures now so as to boost confidence in the economy among investors, business people, workers and those on welfare.

I am not going to get into the details of the budget this evening, but I can say it will set out steps to stabilise and restore balance to the public finances by prioritising current and capital public expenditure to reflect the changed realities.

We face very difficult choices. We will have ample time for serious economic discussion in this House on budget day and in the weeks subsequent to it. We will, of course, seek to protect the most vulnerable and to protect the productive sector which must generate the income we need to provide the public services in education and in health that our people deserve.

The House can be assured the Government will leave no stone unturned to protect the gains that have been made and they are substantial. We now have more than 2 million people at work. Since 1997, under successive Fianna Fáil-led Governments, more than 700,000 jobs have been created, a startling achievement.

We have a highly educated and young workforce and, by international standards, a very low tax environment for workers and business and this has been an important driver of economic growth. This transformation has been achieved by the hard work and enterprise of our citizens underpinned by the sound economic policies of this Government. It has placed us in a better position than most to weather this downturn. As long as we take the tough decisions now, we will be well positioned to take advantage of the upturn when it comes.

We in this House will have to face real choices. The Opposition cannot take refuge in rhetoric as we make these choices. It will have to come forward with alternatives if it is not prepared to accept the policies brought forward by Government.

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