Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)

The incoming Government cannot do everything at once and certainly not in the first ten days in office. Our commitment to review does not equal immediate reductions. I indicated during the election campaign that options were given to the Department of Finance; those which were worth doing seemed to cost too much and those which cost little did not seem worth doing. We made it clear at the end of the election campaign that we would not bring forward policy proposals at that point but we committed to a review. The terms of reference of the review are being drafted and we will have them shortly. The review can then take place and we will see the options in the context of budgetary decisions for 2012.

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