Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform gave an interview to the Business Postover the weekend, which I presume the Taoiseach read. Is the Taoiseach ruling out increases to income or wealth tax in the coming budget? Has he ruled out increases to social welfare payments or the Christmas bonus? What will be the size of the national recovery fund, and will this be new money? We do not know because we have not had a statement from the Taoiseach. To what use will it be put?

The deficit is expected to be €30 billion. At the end of August it was €9.5 billion. The difference is more than €20 billion, some €5 billion a month. I do not know how realistic all of this is. There is a huge lack of information from the Government. What will the real impacts of this on current and capital funding be?As I am sure the Taoiseach heard, his partner in government, the Green Party, has announced that the M20 will not happen in the next five years. Is that accurate? Is there any truth in recent commentary on the national children's hospital project? What is the situation there? What are the plans to deal with this deficit, and how will it affect future spending to which the Government has already committed?

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