Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I would like to ask the Minister about the mechanism for forecasting the tax revenue shortfall. Will he make available to me his current estimates in relation to the interest costs for this year? It seems to me that we are not getting the full picture when it comes to the costs that apply to Anglo Irish Bank and the treatment of that bank. I was surprised to hear of the amounts of money the Minister has committed to the smaller institutions, such the as the EBS and the Irish Nationwide Building Society. I do not know whether the Minister was surprised to have to do so. We all know the Irish Nationwide Building Society would be another dead duck if it was not for its deposit book. Can the Minister give us an updated figure for the total amounts involved in the Government bank recapitalisation programme and the interests costs arising therefrom?

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