Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have two different figures there. We have the €50 million, which was a consequence of the Labour Court recommendation. That is being dealt with in two ways. The Department of Justice and Equality has already outlined in answers to priority questions asked by the Acting Chairman's colleague, Deputy O'Callaghan, and perhaps also by the Acting Chairman, the itemised savings it has made in its Vote to do it. The Government met the obligation of the other portion of that, the further €25 million, through an increase in expenditure plans for 2017. On the €120 million figure, obviously all of that occurred when we got into 2017 and we made the agreement with the public services committee of ICTU in January 2017.

I will indicate during the year where that funding will be delivered. It will be delivered through a mixture of options, namely, savings, tax revenue and choices we make over other projects. My commitment is that public services will not be affected as a result. Despite all the questions I faced when I made the agreement, its merit can be seen clearly in the run-up to the potential industrial dispute involving the INMO and nurses. There was a new context to deal with such issues, stretching across the entire trade union movement. The week before last a joint statement was issued by the Department and the ICTU public services committee on the commitment of both parties to the Lansdowne Road agreement.