Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The Taoiseach indicated yesterday that the annualised average growth that is predicted for the four years in question is 2.75%. Greater clarity will be brought to that matter in the plan, which will set out the target figure for next year. Work is under way in the Department of Finance to examine the various assumptions. A great deal of information has already been shared with the Fine Gael, Labour Party and Sinn Féin spokespersons on finance. I am doing everything in my power to expedite my Department's efforts to ensure information is put at the disposal of the Members of this House in a way that enables them to make judgments about what is possible in this year's budget.

Deputy Morgan mentioned the Deauville pact between France and Germany. I have participated in the Van Rompuy task force. This country's position is that the fiscal rules need to be tightened. Indeed, Ireland is the best example of why that needs to happen. Throughout the period when the asset bubble developed in Ireland, we were in full formal compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact. If one examines the Irish report on the Stability and Growth Pact for the years leading up to 2008, one will see that Ireland complied with the borrowing requirements and the rule about the size of the national debt. It is clear that the Stability and Growth Pact was-----

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