Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 5 November 2020

Public Accounts Committee

2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 7 - Office of Minister for Finance
Chapter 1 - Exchequer Financial Outturn for 2019
Chapter 17 - Ireland Apple Escrow Fund

11:30 am

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The witnesses mentioned the low cost of borrowing. We know that because of Covid there is a relaxation of state aid and other measures that would have been part of the fiscal treaty restrictions. We know we have significant deficiencies on the capital side in terms of infrastructure, sustainable transport, social housing and so on. If we are to have a recovery that is job rich, investment in those areas will be important. Is there scope within the current low-cost borrowing environment to scale up spending on the capital side and, if so, to what extent?