Vol. 512 No. 7
6 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the number of inquiries or representations received by the GIS from members of the public regarding the budget since 1 December 1999; the way in which this compares with the volume of calls in previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26881/99]
The Government Information Service does not maintain records of calls from members of the public regarding the budget nor has it done so in the past. Therefore, I am not in a position to give comparative figures.
Will the Taoiseach agree that what we are witnessing in terms of continuous concessions to one group after another, without any countervailing measures in relation to overall budgetary arithmetic, at the turn of this century, is the most expensive bail out of a bankrupt political Government this country has ever seen?
The Deputy must address the question before the House.
The Taoiseach is bailing out this Government with taxpayers' money by conceding to each group which approaches him.
The question relates to calls from members of the public to the Government Information Service.
If the Ceann Comhairle will allow me to make my last out of order reply of the millennium, I will not make another such reply until the next millennium. We are leaving this millennium having achieved the best financial position the country has ever been in since independence. This is mainly due to this Government and successive Governments in which my party was involved over the last ten years.
I have a brief supplementary.
It must be relevant to the question before the House.
It is very relevant. Will the Taoiseach indicate, in the context of the calls referred to in the question, whether account was taken of how many came from irate members of the Fianna Fáil party and whether any were from his backbench colleagues?
That is a separate question.
Most were from members of the Deputy's party who were told to ring up.
It was not necessary to tell anyone to ring up.
