Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Dr. Casey for that.

The EU fiscal rules state that the medium-term fiscal plans will commit member states to an agreed net expenditure path for a five-year period. The plan will subsequently be endorsed by the Council of the European Union. It is stated that once endorsed by the European Council, it is generally not possible to deviate from the agreed net expenditure path unless a new government takes office. I think this is quite extraordinary. The stability programme update earlier this year set out in stark terms how restricted the national governments of member states will be. It goes on to state that a member state government cannot alter the net expenditure path once it has been endorsed by the European Council. Under the new fiscal rules - which the Government, in my view, shamefully supported - will this mean that Ireland will require an election to deviate from the five-year plan and increase or decrease net public expenditure?