Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 20 April 2021
Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach
Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised)
Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source
The SPU provides for annual expenditure increases of approximately 3.5%. We see in the medium term fiscal strategy that 3.25% growth projected but since then we have had the programme for Government and the Climate Action Bill. On that basis, can the Minister credibly say the commitments entered into in the programme can be delivered with these expenditure ceilings? I point to the words of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council on 15 April in response to the SPU. IFAC said "...the fiscal projections ... do not reflect the Government's priorities. Projected spending increases are very close to what is needed just to cover rising prices, wages and demographics".
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