Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

-----all over the place rather than focus on the actual question. The first piece of information we need to know is what are the growth forecasts for next year and if we are to have a four year budgetary plan the forecasts for the four years. The Taoiseach can justify it all he likes but we know that the growth forecasts he gave us last year were way out, as a consequence of which the budgetary projections for next year and the following four years also have to be adjusted. We need to know what is the growth forecast. I accept the Taoiseach is not in a position to tell us today what the growth forecast is but when is he going to settle on the growth forecast and when will he be in a position to tell us? Until we know that we cannot calculate, and neither can the Taoiseach nor anyone else, what the size of the budgetary adjustment will have to be. While he is waiting to decide what the growth forecast is he might give the House some indication as to where he thinks it is likely to end up in terms of the budgetary adjustment that has to be made for 2011 and over the next four years.

The Taoiseach is correct that a briefing was given to the finance spokespersons but the information provided in that briefing is entirely conditional on what the level of growth is likely to be and therefore what the budgetary adjustments are then going to be as a consequence. If the Taoiseach is not in a position to tell us what that is today, can he tell us at least when he is going to be in a position to provide us with that information because until we have it we cannot have - nobody can have - a meaningful discussion on where the budget for 2011 and beyond is going to go?

The Taoiseach did not make any response to my request as to what the forecast for unemployment will be next year. I invite him to have a stab at that when he is replying the second time.

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