Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

I welcome Senator Darragh O'Brien's constructive comments. I support the Minister because he is right, in that the documentation that accompanies the Budget Statement is adequate. The budget as a whole was masterfully crafted to ensure a minimal impact on the less well-off. The budget hit people who could afford to pay. In the current climate, that we had a budget in which social welfare was not cut and the basic rates of tax were not increased is a tribute to the Minister and his colleagues.