Dr. Martin O'Brien:

I will perhaps again link the public finances and the funds the Deputy mentioned. The funds are being funded by the excess and windfall corporation tax receipts to a certain extent anyway, which we expect to continue to have even in the next few years. We have done analysis asking what if, in all the geo-economic situations going on, the corporation tax receipts evaporate. We know already that the underlying budget balance is still in deficit and would be even further in deficit if those corporation tax receipts were not there. However, in addition, less funds would be available to go into the future Ireland fund or the ICNF during the remainder of this decade. If that were to materialise, it would just bring forward the necessary adjustments that need to be made to cater for the costs that relate to an ageing society and bring forward the importance of broadening the tax base and considering things over the medium- to long-term perspective. I just wanted to bring those two elements together.