Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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When the Minister attended the committee to discuss the Supplementary Estimates, I asked him questions. Three times he told me that he would give me the information the following day. I knew that it would take longer, as did the officials who were beside the Minister, but he stated it three times on the record. We did not get the information before the Supplementary Estimates were voted through the Dáil. His office sent the committee a letter on the issue last week because we wrote to complain. He was surprised that we were seeking detailed information that was not considered germane to our deliberations. Every item of Government expenditure is germane to this committee's deliberations and I will not accept the Minister's or his Department's claim that we cannot ask detailed questions on same because they are "not germane".

Within 30 minutes of having seen the document on budget day, I pointed out another reason for not believing in these figures. According to the document, the expenditure ceiling for the Department of Health will be €13.079 billion in 2015 and €13.292 billion in 2017, an increase of €200 million or approximately 1.3%. No one believes that the Government will be able to limit the increase in that Department's expenditure to less than 0.5% in each of the next three years.