Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a reflection of the fact that we expect to have corporate tax receipts at a high level for some time more, but I, like the Minister for Finance, am absolutely certain that they will begin to diminish. When they do, we will have to be ready. For some time more, they will be at the level included in the Department of Finance's forecasts. While the Government believes it is important to use the time to deepen our insurance policies for the future, it is also very conscious of the issues in the here and now. Given the obvious need to build more homes and do better on climate change, the Government decided a portion of the higher corporate tax receipts would be used to increase our capital ceiling temporarily. As totally committed as I am to bringing forward the reserve arguments and not spending this portion, I believe it is appropriate that a small share of the corporate tax receipts be spent, but spent on capital. For me, those two ideas complement each other.