Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand IFAC's logic because its members have it clear and asked for the rule to be legislated. However, as a point of fact we do not have a national expenditure rule. There is no legislation underpinning it; the Government describes it as the Government's rule. It is not a national rule. It is not like the fiscal rules that had an underpinning and despite IFAC wishing it did, it does not and it is important the language the council presents does not confuse people to suggest there is a rule being breached, because it is the three parties of Government that have come up with this rule. It is Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party's rule. It is not the Oireachtas's rule. It is an important point because some people who are reading this wonder whether we are breaching the rules compared with the European fiscal rules, and that has consequences, so it is important in that context. I understand why the council argues for it, but it does not exist. It does not exist in legislation and it is not a rule of the Oireachtas.