Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That commitment is important, but no decision is made until the budget is finalised. I told the Deputy's predecessor, Deputy Barry Cowen, this last year and I am happy to say that when the budget emerged from the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, we were, in the very difficult circumstances bequeathed to us by the Deputy and his colleagues, in a position to protect those rates. I hope we will be in a position to do so this year also. No decisions are made until they are all finalised.

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