asked the Minister for Finance if it is proposed to introduce a supplementary Budget between now and the 31st March, 1970.
168.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Supplementary Budget.
167.
asked the Minister for Finance if it is his intention to introduce a supplementary Budget prior to the Christmas recess.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions 167 and 168 together.
It is not the Government's intention at present to introduce a supplementary Budget. However, as the financial year has over five months to run, it is not possible to take a final decision at this stage.
The matter will be kept under review in the light of developments during the remaining months of the year.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of the guarantee and assurance given at that time by the Minister for Transport and Power that under no circumstances would there be a supplementary Budget introduced in the autumn of this year?
There is no intention of doing so at the moment.
May we take it as quite clear that there will be no supplementary Budget in this financial year?
I can only give the information that is available to me. If the Deputy wants any further comment I shall ask the Minister to take up the matter.
Is the Minister still abroad?
The Minister for Finance has been detained abroad. It was expected that he would be back today.
Surely there was plenty of notice given of this question. Has the Parliamentary Secretary no better information than to say that at present there is no intention but that there are five months of the financial year yet to run?
I am sure the Deputy has good experience of the Department of Finance——
I have good experience of the Fianna Fáil Government.
——and that he does realise that circumstances may change which will sometimes necessitate a change in intention. The point is that there is no intention to introduce a supplementary Budget at this time.
The Parliamentary Secretary is aware that in March of this year the Minister for Finance went on television and told the people that we were facing an economic crisis. The Deputy is also aware that four weeks later the Minister for Finance introduced a Budget and said that everything in the garden was rosy and wonderful. The Parliamentary Secretary is also aware that trade returns recently have indicated that we are now in the middle of very serious inflation threatening the jobs and the way of life of the ordinary people. In these circumstances I am not prepared to accept waffle from the Parliamentary Secretary in reply to a question of this kind. The Government should have the Minister for Finance here to tell us whether there will be a supplementary Budget in the course of the present financial year.
In view of the urgency of this matter might I ask you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, to permit me to have this question repeated on next Tuesday when the Minister for Finance will be here so that the House will hear the Minister and obtain a definite assurance from him. Apparently the Parliamentary Secretary is not fully equipped with authority to give the House and the country an assurance that there will be no supplementary Budget. I would much prefer to hear that more definitely from the Minister. I would ask that this question would appear on the Order Paper for next Tuesday so that the House and the country may get from the Minister a definite guarantee in relation to the introduction of any further Budget during the present financial year.
All the Chair can say it that if the question is put down it will be considered.
I should like to say regarding the matters raised by Deputy O'Higgins that there are other questions which will cover some of the points.