Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, could I get more clarity on that figure for the IOTs because the Minister did not really answer the question? When I did the sums based on the number of staff the Minister stated were retiring, it came to €189,000 per retiree. That was different from the average figures the Minister gave and it would not be low enough to include their pensions.

There is an extra €100 million, less the funding for the minor works grant. How many extra school places have been achieved this year? The note stated there were 1,000. Is it the case that there are 1,000 extra school places for that €100 million because that is certainly a lot of money?

The Minister mentioned that the capital budget will increase next year by €40 million but he is adding €100 million to this year's figure.

Is that €40 million on top of the new figure for this year or is there a cut in the capital budget of €60 million next year?