Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What is the Central Bank's view on the idea that we could grow ourselves out of the situation we are in? We are talking about some permanent increases. Most of them - not the majority of them but the larger proportion of them - related to health and staff within our healthcare system, which many would argue we needed and should have made a long time ago. However, we also have the one-off expenditure, which has run into €32 billion or so over the course of two years and will probably increase given that last year's assumptions are not materialising in terms of the supports that are needed this year. Is it the Central Bank's view that the State can grow itself out of this without imposing restrictions or additional tax increases or cutting back on the type of expenditure we made in health, education and transport, which were probably the three key areas where core expenditure came? There are two questions there. I am looking at the one-off expenditure on Covid and the core expenditure. Is there an opportunity to grow our way out of this?