Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I support the principle of the recommendation, but if we want to ensure the budgetary process provides for a full debate and analysis and proper decision-making, we need more than this recommendation. The Minister will be aware that we need to examine the budgetary process in greater depth through the committee system. The finance committee works well, but if it was given new terms of reference or a budgetary committee was established, significant questions relating to expenditure, tax forgone and cost-benefit analyses could be addressed. That would be a useful addendum to the recommendation which, like my colleagues, I support. On Second Stage I outlined the danger of us entering the Orwellian realm of "four legs good, two legs bad", of suddenly deciding in retrospect that every tax relief is wrong, which is not the case. Much good work has been done and infrastructure has been put in place in this country due to tax reliefs. I, and many of my colleagues, made representations to the Minister in the past year on the provision of tax relief for the new primary medical centres. I make no apology for that.