Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are dealing with an estimate of what senior civil servants believe may be a need under certain programmes and this amount of money goes in but until it is spent the specifics of it are not available. I can tell the Deputy the general purpose of it, the intent of it and the policy area in which it will be spent if it is spent. That is the position on it. The Deputy is treating Estimates as if the money was actually spent. That is where the Committee of Public Accounts comes in and scrutinises the spend. It is a different issue.