Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The reality is that when I came into the Department, the Department's estimates, which were the estimates of the previous Minister in the Department and the Minister for Finance in the previous Government, projected an unemployment figure of 405,000 in 2011. The actual figure has turned out to be 441,000 on average in the year to date. This is the major reason for the difference. The second reason is that savings were targeted across a series of headings amounting to €49 million and were provided for in the departmental Estimates but not announced. In addition, savings were targeted which were the subject of announcements in respect of savings in the rent supplement scheme. How €50 million of the €60 million savings would be found was not identified.

I understand the previous Minister intended to bring forward detailed proposals of these estimates. The previous Minister signed off all these estimates and measures as did the previous Government. The previous Minister intended to bring forward these measures but events, in the shape of the general election and a change of Government, overtook what the Minister, presumably, intended to do.

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