Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

The public knows that revenue is needed for public services and understands the issues involved, especially since it is now clear that the economy is still doing well.

The way employment has remained stable through the downturn over the last two or three years is fantastic. The number of unemployed, which is not measured by the live register, is still under 100,000 or less than 5%. The Opposition's live register figures are not up to date. The April figures are 164,000, 10,000 below what they were this time last year.