Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know that in the case of social housing if rent payments were to be subsidised, that would bring it on balance sheet at a later date. I know about the difficulties being faced and my question was well answered. We need to try to do what we can to clarify the position and if the matter can be progressed, it should be because there is a substantial sum of money available to address the problems we face.

The Minister has touched on the issue of spending in the health sector. My colleague mentioned the additional €500 million allocated. At one of our previous meetings when representatives of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council briefed us, there was a cautionary tone. They spoke about the €2.4 billion budget package. When pressed, they said it was at the upper limit of prudent spending, but they also said clearly that were there to be additional spending in a supplementary budget throughout the year, it would push us over the limit and pose a risk to the economy and the country. I am sure the Minister is conscious of this. Can we be guaranteed that there will not be a supplementary budget, in particular, for the health service, that the budget we will pass in October will be realistic and that supplementary funding will not be required throughout the year?