Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I wish to raise two matters. First, Deputy Shortall asked the Minister for Finance to correct the record of the House relating to the statement he made during his Budget Statement that people on the new national minimum wage would not be brought into the tax net. It is clear from the way in which the universal social charge is being applied that it is a tax and that as a result, people on the national minimum wage are being brought into the tax net. I ask the Tánaiste to address this. An opportunity should be given some time today for the Minister for Finance to correct the record of the House.

Second, we have been told that once the budget is through, the Green Party would leave Government and there would be a general election. This would mean that, apart from the financial legislation that arises out of the budget, no other legislation would be brought forward by this Government-----

See this speech in context