Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein)

The information from such a report is necessary. For example, the ESRI stated the budget reduced the income of the poorest 40% of households in the State by 2.5% compared with a reduction of 0.7% for the richest 30%. The conclusion of this stand-alone analysis was that the budget was regressive because it impacted most on low and middle income households. Will the Minister consider accepting this recommendation to ensure we have as much information as possible when starting the budgetary process?