Mr. Dermot Quigley:

We remain in consultation with the OPW. We are conscious of the need to place expenditure on a multi-annual footing. This is part and parcel of a package which is going to be rolled out and give rise to considerable changes on the current expenditure side. A great deal of work has been done in the area of capital expenditure. However, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform recognises that considerably more is required to ensure the problems which arose in the past through the lack of a multi-annual budgeting system are rectified.