Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

My heart is very much in the debate about the fiscal treaty. I hope the Taoiseach will answer directly the questions I have for him. At the outset of the referendum campaign, the Taoiseach said the "No" side would raise issues external to the treaty. Exactly the opposite has taken place. The Taoiseach and the Government have discussed everything except what is actually in the treaty, its provisions and the impact it will have on our economy and society. Instead, the Taoiseach has made threats about imposing worse austerity in the next budget, the dire consequences of a "No" vote and the tax policies of the United Left Alliance, although he refuses to discuss any of these in a debate on national television in front of the people.

Will the Taoiseach discuss the treaty? The treaty is about deficit and debt reduction. Will the Taoiseach inform the public and the House about it? What is a structural deficit? What will our structural deficit be in the year when we exit the EU-IMF programme? What cuts will be needed in that year and in following years to meet the treaty targets? What will our national debt be in the year we exit the EU-IMF programme?

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