Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

While I take the view that it is important to adopt a constructive approach, does the Taoiseach consider the targets that have been met to be sufficient to meet the budgetary targets that clearly are required to be met in the next 12 months? In other words, has an assessment been made that the actual savings made will be sufficient to meet the overall deficit reduction challenge, given that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have ruled out tax increases and social welfare cuts? Will the savings be of the necessary magnitude to make up the shortfall to arrive at the deficit reduction target set for the budget to be announced next December? Does the Taoiseach agree that it is not a highly constructive approach for some members of the Government to lecture people about reform from the safety of newspaper articles and so on, rather than becoming more personally engaged in driving a reform programme across Departments?

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