Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Before I get into what will be a limited response to the stability programme update because of the time available, I will call out what is happening in the Dáil right now. The stability programme update is a serious document. It is the start of the budgetary process, as acknowledged in official documentation. It is not just a technical and statistical document, as the Taoiseach called it this morning. The update sets the country's expenditure ceilings for next year. This document frames the budget. As such, a detailed discussion of its contents is important. For example, a table in last year's update made all manner of highly technical adjustments to the likes of the expected growth and inflation rates that radically changed the fiscal space that was available this year. Things that are happening and not happening in Ireland today are directly related to the technical analysis contained in last year's stability programme update. This is not a technical and statistical backup analysis. It frames the entire budgetary process.

Let us consider what has happened. We got this document at 10 p.m. last night but were not told about it, so I only picked it up at 7:30 a.m. this morning. We found out yesterday that there would be statements on this important document today. The acting Ministers, Deputies Noonan and Howlin, entered the Chamber, made speeches that they had clearly had a great deal of time and resources to prepare, tolerated Deputies Michael McGrath and Pearse Doherty and then left. With genuine respect for the Minister who is sitting opposite representing the Government, her Department is Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. This debate is nonsense.

The acting Minister, Deputy Noonan-----

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