Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)

I want to try to get an answer to this question. I asked about the report on more cuts and tax increases and reference was made to the chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, Professor John McHale. I asked about the structural deficit given the plans to make an €8.6 billion adjustment over the three years. In particular I asked what the automatic correction methods would entail. The Minister did not answer any of these questions. The Minister speaks about growth and about Greece. It did not do him any justice at the Bloomberg conference to laugh about putting feta cheese in shopping baskets. If it was intended to have an effect it did not work. Last night another rating agency put Ireland on negative watch. Investors are not stupid.

The Minister spoke about growth and mentioned infrastructure projects and schools. How can the Minister speak about this? Last year he and his colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, announced that €7.2 billion would be taken from the capital budget between now and 2016. The Minister speaks about €17 billion with regard to capital but he forgets to state this is a reduction of €7.2 billion.

How much of the €300 million we lent to Greece does the Minister expect the country to get back if Greece exits the euro?

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