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

Let the general public decide on that issue. The point is that the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is essentially arguing that known costs which the State must incur - there is no element of discretion and nothing arbitrary about these, as they are eminently predictable - have not been factored into the projections. I refer to the impact that demographics will have on public services. Similarly, the tax cuts promised beyond 2016 have not been factored into the projections. This is written in black and white in the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council's report. If the Minister believes the council is wrong, he should say so and explain the reasons it is wrong. The council is independent, whereas the Minister is a politician.

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