Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again reject the allegation the Deputy has made. If, in the context of this measure, the best she can do is infer that I or my Department engaged in behaviour for which she has no evidence whatsoever, it points to the poverty of ideas she and the Labour Party are offering regarding our economy and how all of us want to move it forward. This is the right policy measure to put in place. The Government made the correct decision in terms of broadening the tax base. Given the Deputy's background and what I understood to be the policy of the Labour Party, I would have thought that they would support this. If the best the Deputy can do is allege that I was involved in behaviour that would allow some to benefit from decisions I make, she has a very poor grasp of the standards I and my Department try to stand by when we are involved in the development and implementation of policy. The Deputy's comments are unfounded and a slur on the quality of the officials in my Department, who have helped me draft and implement policy options. The Deputy should know - I suspect she does but is not willing to make the point because she is seeking political gain - that at no point would I be involved in seeking to bestow a benefit on anyone as a result of a decision that could be made on budget day. It ill behoves the Deputy to suggest otherwise.

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