Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are very much working in ranges here. Let us consider health expenditure in 2020. A Revised Estimate with an additional €2 billion has already been brought forward to the House, as Deputies are aware. We have signalled that there will be further expenditure in health. Under the current Estimate, expenditure in the course of 2020 will be somewhere of the order of €2.5 billion to €3 billion beyond the original budget for health. A detailed assessment has been done and is continuing into how much of that expenditure will have to be incurred again next year. I believe the bulk of it will need to be, to be frank with the Deputy, because we have to work on the assumption that Covid will be here through next year. Having said that, a significant amount of personal protective equipment, PPE, was purchased this year. Some of that will carry over into next year. Between €800 million and €900 million was spent on PPE and some of that will be available next year. We need to expect that the vast majority of the additional amount that is being incurred in 2020 will have to be incurred again next year. It would be in a similar range but it is still a work in progress.