Dan Boyle (Green Party)

Until this is clarified we need further debate.

With regard to the Combat Poverty Agency and the act in the process of being committed, it is regrettable that a stand-alone independent agency will not be in place. The opportunity to debate this matter in the upcoming Social Welfare Bill will allow as far as possible the body to be formed between the Combat Poverty Agency and the Office for Social Inclusion to have a poverty focus, to operate as independently as possible and to issue independent reports. The House will have an opportunity to discuss these issues.

With regard to a debate on the economy, what I stated yesterday on the Order of Business is particularly true today. To have such a debate, and a debate on the economy should be held regularly in the House, it is important that proper information is available to Members. Today's publication of the Finance Bill will help this process as will the Government's meeting with the chief executives and chairs of all of the financial institutions on foot of the internal PriceWaterhouse Cooper report on the future of banking which has been made available to the Government.

Such a debate should be conducted with a note of realism. We can do only three things to restore public finances. We can tax more, curb public expenditure or borrow more. In many of the contributions I heard today about what is proposed by the Government, I heard it is taxing too much, cutting too much or borrowing too much.