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

We published the projected general government balances out to 2026 in the SPU in April. We will update those on budget day. Please bear in mind that we had forecast that there would be more than €16 billion for 2024. Now, because we are making provision for non-core expenditure for 2024, which would not have been baked into the SPU, the Deputy will have seen in the summer economic statement that the revised forecast for 2024 is €11.7 billion. The €65 billion, to which he referred, is taken from the SPU is not representative of the reality that we expect to develop because non-core expenditure must be provided for, and it is unlikely to disappear in terms of its need next year or beyond. We will update the forecasts on budget day and we will seek, in so far as we can, to take account of what is likely to be the requirement to make provision for other costs.