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

The Taoiseach has adopted the usual approach of attacking the messenger rather than dealing with the message. He did not answer my question. We have seen the latest forecast from the Department of Finance, in terms of economic growth, tax receipts, and so on, as recently as last month in the stability programme update. The Taoiseach cannot seriously be suggesting that he can find €4 billion in extra receipts and projections from last month's report to the middle of June when the summer economic statement is going to be published. That is simply not credible. The Taoiseach's predecessor had a saying that Paddy likes to know. Paddy does like to know. He wants to know what the story is, because these are hard numbers. They are not Fianna Fáil's numbers, they are the Government's own numbers from its own spending watchdog.

An extra €500 million for broadband over three years and €1.6 billion over the life of the development plan will be needed, while the children's hospital will need €400 million over the next three years. Between those two projects alone, there is an extra €2 billion, but the Taoiseach saw fit to promise more than a further €2 billion in tax cuts. That is more than €4 billion, but the money is not there. It will not be there in the summer economic statement next month and it is about time the Taoiseach came clean with people by telling them the truth.

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