Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last year's outcome included some once-off items, which resulted in figures that were exceptionally higher than originally planned for at the beginning of 2019. The final outturn, therefore, for 2019 is not expected to be a benchmark for this year. We are basing this year's figure, therefore, more on the original Estimate for last year, and, if we do not have any unusual once-off items like we did last year, we think that will be a better basis on which to start. I stress, at this stage, that there is no basis for suggesting that this Estimate is not sufficient.

I take the point that we did not publish all the documents in July as we normally would have done. I tried to explain why that was the case, in that we were concentrating on the July stimulus, the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS, and the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, and the Department and the Revenue Commissioners have only so many officials to do all that work. What was requested today, however, will be published in the spring. The point is also well taken that we should have these economic forecasts coming out regularly on a guaranteed timetable. This year, however, some projects, in all Departments and agencies but in the Revenue in particular, had to be put to one side to allow some of the items concerning Covid-19 to be dealt with. That was for this year only.