Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that it will be there before the spring statement. The expenditure benchmark is something I have been raising with the Minister and his Department for a long time now. The Minister's legacy when it comes to how he deals with some of the economic data is that it is about keeping the Opposition in the dark. We have been raising this for the guts of a year and finally, at the foot of an April statement, the Government is starting to deal with the issue.

The Minister presented me with figures last year whereby the expenditure benchmark would currently allow him a leeway of about €400 million in additional expenditure. Obviously, if he reduces taxes as he has planned, the €400 million would be absorbed and there would be no expenditure increases. This morning on "Morning Ireland" the Fiscal Council suggested that the rules, if granted, would allow him about €700 million of leeway, which could be further enhanced with drops in unemployment. Does he concur with that statement?

The council has also very strongly cautioned against decreases in income tax as a result of increased pressures on health, education and pensions. Can the Minister give us any indication of whether he is going to adhere to the Fiscal Council's strong suggestion that discretionary income tax reductions should be avoided and instead focus on those areas where is there growing pressure?

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