Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister for his response. What spurred me to raise this issue was a comment made by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, with whom the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform works in close collaboration. He led the public at large to understand that in the event of a "Yes" vote in the recent referendum, there would be an "easier" budget. In light of the Minister's response, could he clarify where the easing will come from? I have here a copy of the report to which he referred. I understand from what the Minister said that he intends to plough ahead, taking, for example, a further €3.7 million from community child care subvention - a sector that, as the Minister well knows, is under siege - in 2013, and taking a further €1.8 million from school completion projects. In the context of the broader budgetary mathematics these cutbacks, which were identified in the report, might seem like small sums, but they will have severe implications on the ground. What on earth was the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, on about when he mentioned an easier budget?

The Minister referred to the European semester and also to the six-pack, and he made reference to its limitations and its implications for our budgetary process. Could he shed more light on that?

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