Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 26 September 2018

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Ex-ante Scrutiny of Budget 2019: Minister for Finance

1:30 pm

Photo of Michael McGrathMichael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you. To recap, because this is critical in terms of the budget and looking forward to next year, there is an overrun of €343 million by the HSE to the end of August. Does the Minister have a figure now as what he estimates it to be for the full year? How is he going to make up that shortfall? Are there going to be underspends elsewhere or are we looking at cuts in services and stalling on capital expenditure? If the overrun is, as is suggested in some repots, likely to be up to €1 billion, does it have a knock-on impact on budget 2019 if the Minister cannot make up that overspend by way of underspends elsewhere or additional tax receipts that are unforeseen?