Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I had hoped that the Deputy would have a more ambitious role than to critique someone else's proposals. When I was on that side of the House, I fought for parliamentarians to have the ability to table our own ideas. If the Deputy believes that the disability sector should be preserved, he should table alternatives that exclude it from cuts. This is what being a robust parliamentarian means.

In our budgetary documentation last year, we published the medium-term financial framework. We have updated it for the next three years. The Deputy knows the ceilings, how much money we have, the breakdown between tax and expenditure and the breakdown between current and capital expenditure. He should propose measures.

We also provided the Deputy with the comprehensive review data of all the options and the costings for them. If he wants any more, he should ask for them.

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