Mr. John McCarthy:

I do not want to get into specific policies, as the Deputy will appreciate. All I will say is that if we look at what the Minister did in the last budget, he was able to increase expenditure above what was set out in the fiscal rules by increasing taxation on the commercial property sector. It is the same principle. If the Government so chooses, it can undertake additional spending by financing it appropriately. The rules per sedo not prevent additional spending. One simply has to be able to finance it, and, in my world, that is not unreasonable.