Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My understanding is that Departments will probably be given revised ceilings. There may be a new figure for what the Department of Health is getting and the question will be what the impact will be. There is a context to all of this. The capital budget of the Department of Health and the HSE is almost €700 million. We have to find €50 million during the course of 2019, and while we would rather not have to find it but have an extra €50 million instead, it is €50 million out of €700 million. The entire capital budget for the State is approximately €7 billion, with the increase alone being €1.1 billion. The entire Government has to find €100 million, and while I do not want to be flippant about it, it has to be seen in that context. It is a question of paying a bill a month or two late, or staggering the starting times of projects, but there will not be a widespread cancellation of projects.