Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Finance the degree to which he has sought or received comments from the various banking and commercial sectors relating to the current budget, with particular reference to maximising opportunities for economic recovery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5828/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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My Department receives large numbers of submissions in the run-up to every Budget and Finance Bill. In respect of Budget 2012 we received in the order of 700 submissions from a variety of interest groups, representative bodies, commercial organisations and individuals. Submissions covered a wide range of economic and taxation issues ranging from suggestions for economic initiatives to requests for particular measures to be included, or excluded, from the Budget. These submissions were distributed to the relevant officials in both my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform for consideration in the course of the Budget preparation process. In addition, I met with various representative bodies in the weeks preceding Budget 2012. These included ICTU, IBEC, the ICMSA, the IFA, the CIF and the Community and Voluntary Pillar.