Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

Why should we be giving huge subsidies to building nursing homes and schemes like that? Why should we even be giving subsidies to trade union subscriptions? At a time when we want to protect employment, the Minister should not continue with those tax-based expenditures that are well past their sell-by dates and need to be done away with.

There is a lack of focus, too. I can understand why the Minister is examining child care and mortgages but, as he works on the budget for next year, let us not forget those who are really taking the strain. The people who are really taking the strain in this society at the moment are those who were lured into paying huge mortgages. They are now in huge negative equity, have young families and are worried about their jobs. We cannot pile mortgage relief cuts and child support cuts on the generation who are taking the strain for the mistakes that were made in Government. We have to be sensitive to the needs of those people as the Minister starts to reform these areas.

Easy options have been hit. There will be disappointment that overseas development aid has been hit once again; having been hit in October, it is now hit again.

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