asked the Minister for Finance why he compared the financial outturn of last year with the figures at the commencement of this year in his Budget statement.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Minister's Budget Statement.
21.
The comparison was made in order to show the extent to which the figures at the commencement of this year exceeded the outturn for the last financial year. The reason for making such a comparison is, I think, obvious and I am not clear as to the significance of the Deputy's question.
The Minister knows very well what the significance of my question is. I want to ask the Minister why did he attempt to mislead the House by comparing the figures? As the Minister knows very well, the reason was that he wanted to pretend he was dealing with inflation and even then he had to admit that there was a 12½ per cent increase in expenditure. Is it not true that the real increase in expenditure was 20 per cent and that this will become clear when additional subsidies for all the transport organisations must be paid? Every transport organisation must be subsidised on a huge scale in the coming year and the Minister should not pretend he does not know that.
The statement to which the Deputy referred was made in the Budget Statement and it read as follows:
The concessions and the tax increases which I have announced bring revenue and current expenditure into balance at £551 million which is £61 million or 12½ per cent greater than the outturn in 1970-71.
What I am saying and comparing seems to be self-evident. This is nothing new; it has been done in a number of other Budget Statements.
I do not think the Minister's statement that it occurs in other Budget Statements is correct. I should like him to quote me an example.
May I refer the Deputy to the Official Report of 11th April, 1967, Volume 227, column 1256; to the Official Report of 23rd April, 1968, Volume 234, column 50; and to the Official Report of 22nd April, 1970, Volume 245, column 1729.
Does the Minister not realise that it is time attention was drawn to the matter?
Does the Deputy not think in these circumstances, having said that my statement was incorrect, the least he could do was po say he would have a look at it, instead of changing his feet.
There is no reason to have a look at something that is wrong. The Deputy knows that as well as I do. Of course. this is typical of Fianna Fáil.
I am calling Question No. 22.