John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

When we speak in this House, it is important we speak accurately and take great care with the statistics we use. I took the opportunity of the break to contact the Department of Finance in regard to statistics used in the House pertinent to this section. According to the Department of Finance, the number of people who are earning more than €100,000 per year is not 15,000 but 9,000, some 6,000 fewer than was suggested. The figures given for Donegal were also inaccurate. It is very important to take great care to ensure accurate figures are used.