Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I thank the Taoiseach for finally giving us the date of the second budget for 2009. I would like to pursue further the issue of providing information to the Opposition. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance have invited the Opposition parties to engage with the process and to put forward proposals. The Labour Party is very willing to do that. However, there is a certain amount of basic information that we need.

What is the second budget intended to achieve? What is the gap in money terms that the second budget is intended to close? When the Taoiseach announced last week that there would be a second budget, he told us that the shortfall was between €2.5 and €3.5 billion. When our spokesperson was briefed by the Department of Finance, we were told that the shortfall was €3.5 billion to €4.5 billion. Since then, there has been speculation that it may be as high as €5 billion. There is quite a gap between the Taoiseach's original estimate last week of €2.5 billion and the €5 billion that is now speculated. What is the Government attempting to achieve in the budget? Where between those two figures does the real figure rest? We need to know this before we can start out on any exercise.

Is it intended to do that for the remainder of 2009? If the Government brings in a budget on 7 April, many of the measures contained in it will have to be introduced in a finance Bill and these will not kick in until the beginning of May at the earliest. Therefore, we are talking about an eight month period. Is it intended to make up the gap within eight months?

Do the projections for our public finances given to the European Commission between now and 2013 still stand? Can the Taoiseach tell us the current Government estimate of revenue and expenditure? What is the projection for that between now and 2013?

I presume the Department of Finance would have received by now some revised estimates for 2009 from the line Departments. We need this information if we are to address the expenditure side. Individual Departments will have worked out what will happen to various programmes and what capital projects might go ahead or be postponed. I presume this information has been made available to the Department of Finance and we need it if we are to put forward realistic proposals to the Government for the budget. In support of what Deputy Kenny said, I ask the Taoiseach to provide that information to the Opposition parties.

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