Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

So would I. I would love to see the Deputy trying to bring me into one. All programmes for government are subject to the budgetary circumstances. I refer him to every one of them, including the rainbow coalition programme and the Fianna Fáil-Labour Party programme. All commitments in every programme are subject to overall budgetary requirements because, otherwise, there is no reality to them and that is why those provisions are in place in every programme.

Second, the counterargument I am putting is the Deputy is saying the €15 billion should be left in and we should run another deficit of €18.8 billion next year.

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