Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

As a result of what was negotiated by the Government, we have no other option.

The document discussed in the German Parliament was circulated to the governments of the various member states. We should not be asking why it was leaked to the Bundestag because the German Government is obliged under its country's constitution to circulate such documents to Members of Parliament. Why did the Government not circulate the document to Members of the Oireachtas in order that we had an opportunity to read it before our German counterparts? The Government was aware of the German legal obligation from the previous occasion on which this occurred. Why is the document in question not listed on today's Order Paper for discussion? The Government is going to be obliged to introduce a second budget. It spent all of last year claiming credit for the budget it had opposed. However, nearly three months after its own budget was introduced, it is already contemplating the introduction of a second budget.