Mr. Seamus Coffey:

They are the choices that have to be made. If the money goes to particular areas, then the political system has evaluated that they are the priority. The funds are available. The additional fiscal resources can be generated with the continued performance of the economy. It is not a matter for the fiscal council to decide whether those additional resources should be allocated to tax reductions, capital spend or current spend. We repeatedly make the point that a well managed economy generates fiscal resources which can be used in different areas. As mentioned in my responses to Deputy Bruton, we are not being transparent around how those fiscal resources are being used. Every year, massive Supplementary Estimates are provided. This money would create a significant amount of funding for climate change priorities. Supplementary Estimates are ongoing and cumulative. They could amount to €500 million or €600 million per annum, which means that by year four or five they amount to €3 billion or €3.5 billion.