Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)

Every year, across a number of headings we can see an increase in expenditure. Often, as the Minister of State has said, this can be demand-led. However, it is not factored in the budget for the following year, when we again see a demand-led overspend. I suggest that this is a baked-in flaw in the budgeting process. When one asks about it, the implication is sometimes that an overrun will be okay because we can expect to get a Supplementary Estimate to cater for it. It is a problem in the budgeting process that some of the overruns are baked in. As some of them are baked in and expected, it makes it harder to home in and focus on unanticipated budgetary overruns that need to be controlled. I accept that when something is demand-led and the demand is there, it needs to be met. I am just making that observation.