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

I thank Deputy Canney for his very fair question. In normal times, this committee would have more information available to it by way of projections for the next number of years but there is so much uncertainty it is impossible to predict in many respects what is likely to lie before us for next year. To go beyond that, is very much crystal ball gazing but we will need to do it. We have indicated that in the stability programme update in April of next year we will set out the fiscal projections and the macro-economic projections for 2022 and beyond. That is important because we do need to set out an overall fiscal framework for the next number of years. The view we have arrived at now is that the degree of uncertainty is so extraordinary there would be little value at this point in time in predicting 2022, 2023 and beyond. We will do so in the spring of next year.