Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

Now, in a great flurry, we are talking about a reduction of only 50. Some of those are merely mergers, not to mention the ones created. The reduction in the number of quangos will be minuscule. However, there are opportunities here, which I could outline to the Taoiseach and about which I have talked in the House, to reduce the number of quangos to under 100 and the number of directors of quangos to certainly well under current 2,200. That would at least be a symbol of the Taoiseach's determination to cut out the waste in this budget.

This is conventional economics on a level which is depressing because it is leading us to a situation which will only make the fundamental economic indicators much worse than they were. There are no new big ideas in this budget and I am very depressed that it is happening in the same week the Taoiseach will go to Europe to sort out a much bigger problem.

I suggest the Taoiseach goes to Europe not overshadowed by Brussels, that he puts the fundamental problem behind this budget on the agenda, that is, the Irish debt, and that he looks for a write-off of the Irish debt. I want the Taoiseach to spoil the party. I do not want him to go to Europe and be some sort of lap-dog to the big powers. I want him to say he is Irish, we are in trouble, which they landed us in, and that he is going to spoil their party unless the write-off of the debt is not only on the agenda but is achieved. If that is done, this budget will, thankfully, be irrelevant and the Taoiseach will be able to come back next week and say the future is brighter and that he will produce a better budget for the Irish people.

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