Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

For quite a long time, the Governor of the Central Bank has been pointing out in the quarterly reports the dangers to the economy of proceeding down the road of construction in the main. Following his announcement yesterday, it is clear the situation is exceptionally grave, although he did not provide the unpublished estimates he mentioned at the Oireachtas committee meeting yesterday.

I respect the fact that the budget is absolutely confidential to the Cabinet. Budgetary decisions are confidential and that is the Cabinet's constitutional business. However, the options being considered and given to the Cabinet by an bord snip and by different Departments are only that. They are only options from which the Cabinet can choose either to select some of those options or ignore them and come up with their own considerations.

The Fine Gael Party, through our spokesman, Deputy Bruton, has been raising the issue for a few years of the way budgets should be constructed, about how efficiency can be levered out of the economy in terms of securing value for money and projecting signposts ahead on the economic landscape so that people in their personal and business lives can plan for investment and what they want to do. I am being told by retailers around the country that they cannot get an overdraft for €3,000 or €5,000 and they face redundancy as a consequence. These are the practical, human considerations that apply every day.

I agree with the Taoiseach when he claims that budget matters decided by the Cabinet are confidential, but if he expects the Opposition parties to make any kind of constructive proposals to the Minister for Finance, then the least to which we should be entitled is the range of taxation proposals and options for spending cuts being considered by an bord snip and, consequently, the Department of Finance through to the Cabinet. Is there any reason the Taoiseach will not give that full range of proposals and options to the Opposition parties? We have not got a copy of the report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. We are now told that the Government is only being given very stark figures on the economy, such as a €3 billion shortfall on tax and a €2 billion shortfall on the spending side.

Aside from the constitutional confidentiality requirements, is there a reason the Taoiseach will not give us the full range of proposals so that we can offer constructive suggestions? This party has put forward proposals for drastic change in the way budgets are drafted and on regulation regarding the spending of the people's money. Is he prepared to give us the options considered by the Government, from which it has an absolute right to make its decision at the end of the day?

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