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

The Deputy is attributing an argument to me that I did not make. I was very clear in putting forward my argument that the responsibility sits with me. I was crystal clear about it as I agree with the Deputy. It would be a pretty poor argument to put to her that I did not run a higher surplus because I was not asked to do so. I was very clear in what I said, perhaps in anticipation of her retort. I said it is my job to try to get the overall balance right.

For example, the Deputy made the point that there were some areas of unplanned expenditure, particularly those associated with health, that could have been handled differently and better. That would, of course, have caused significant consequences too with respect to citizens and service delivery. It is fair in any debate to make the point about the level of current expenditure now versus where we were a decade ago. That is in the context of us coming out of a crisis and the level of pent-up need and demand to meet that need. The figures I put to the Deputy merit a role in this debate, and that is why I am now putting such effort into managing where we are with expenditure this year and ensuring we can at this point deliver a surplus. I seek to maximise that surplus in advance of getting into any difficulty if such difficulty arises.