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

Windfall amounts such as this cannot be used for ongoing and recurring expenditure. After that it would be a matter of argument between a different Commission and the Irish authorities as to whether a portion could be attributed to capital projects. That is unclear. The fiscal rules we have signed up to under the Stability and Growth Pact would deem this to be once-off revenue and cannot be used to finance permanent increases in expenditure. In any event, the possibility of spending the money does not arise. It will not be available to the Exchequer, unless and until the legal proceedings are fully completed. It is expected that it will be several years before this is resolved. It certainly could not be used for any recurring expenditure of a current expenditure nature. We will have to wait and see whether it will be possible to get agreement to use some of it for capital investment.