Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am providing the Leader with the information in order to inform his response to Senator Cullinane's question.

I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Crown. I ask the Leader to give consideration to inviting the Minister for Finance to the House because, yet again, in his own way as a blunt and straight speaker, he has dismissed the notion that has been growing among government candidates knocking on doors that somehow there will be a tax break for middle Ireland. The Minister has disabused them of that notion in recent days. He has made it quite clear that there will be at least another €2 billion taken out of the economy, and that loss of €2 billion will filter down into people's pockets. The word coming from our side of the House is that people can give no more. I hope everyone entitled to vote will vote. I was disappointed to hear this morning on "Morning Ireland" some people in Galway saying they had no interest in voting. I wonder if they are living in the real world. People should vote when they have the right to vote. There are people dying as we speak because they are looking for the right to vote. I hope that those who do vote will take account of the reality of the situation - that we are far from being out of the woods, economically speaking. In that context, I ask that the Minister for Finance come to the House to give a statement on the true economic situation, not the spin that is being put out by the very efficient government spin doctors, but the reality of the economic situation and his plans for the forthcoming budget.

I ask that the Tánaiste or his Minister of State, Deputy Joe Costello, come to the House to give a statement on the continuing, evolving and dangerous events in Ukraine, which are beginning to have an effect on business. Ireland is a trading nation and we have a real interest in the situation. Some people might ask why we should care about Ukraine. It reminds me of the quote about Czechoslovakia prior to the Second World War, that it is a far-off country of which we know little. That is not the case in this instance, because Ukraine, Eastern Europe and Russia are key components in our continuing struggle to increase our export markets. I ask the Tánaiste to come to the House to provide an update on the situation and the Government position. Such information would be very useful for this House and for the country in general.