Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

What has been the rise in the cost of borrowing by the Minister to date? He predicts, based on the figures he quoted and the likely outcome, that he will borrow approximately one sixth of gross national income next year — €24 billion. Does he believe he will be able to fund this without a very sharp escalation in the cost of borrowing? Is he confident he will place that borrowing?

How soon will we have a clear fiscal strategy? In the budget the Minister set out that by year three, 2011, we would be back within the stability pact requirement of 3%. Is that still his objective? When will we see the three year fiscal strategy to deliver this? As the Minister has said on repeated occasions, policy changes will have to be made to achieve this, but we have not been told what they are. Does he rely exclusively on Mr. Colm McCarthy "& Co." to come up with these policy changes or will Ministers come up with their own? Does he accept that it was a serious mistake to bring forward the budget which was built on numbers that do not hold water? Can he still say, as he said during the week, that tax increases and cuts in capital spending are out in 2009?

See this speech in context