Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Only then will we find out the full extent of the cuts and increases buried in the detail of the budget. That detail is often carefully drip-fed in the hope it will hardly be noticed. A full assessment of the budget can be made only when we have all of the facts at hand. My colleague, Deputy Sean Fleming, will highlight some of the cuts the Ministers have not mentioned in their statements but which will become very clear on an analysis of the booklets.

Often, in the hours and days immediately after a budget an issue takes on a life of its own when its full magnitude is realised. In this budget, that issue could well be removing the telephone allowance, not just from pensioners but from carers, blind people and people on disability allowance. Most people do not go to bed worrying about the general Government deficit, the debt-to-GDP ratio or the yield on Government bonds, though all of those metrics are important.

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