Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government response during the pandemic added approximately €30 billion to the national debt. We also had national debt prior to the global financial crisis and the economic crisis that happened in Ireland in the years following that. Those crises undoubtedly added to the national debt. The rescue of the banking system also added to the debt. We can certainly provide a detailed breakdown of it. In the main, the national debt we have as a country comprises the accumulation of budget deficits over many years, including the years the Deputy referenced.

Certainly, during Covid, it added approximately €30 billion to the national debt.