Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for her comments on this morning's announcement regarding the agreement with the GPA. Capital funding is allocated on a multi-annual basis because of the large number of capital projects under way throughout the State. The Deputy is correct that current funding is not provided on a multi-annual basis. I appreciate that every agency would like to know, year on year, what its income will be for the next three or four years. However, the budgetary framework means we must do battle on an annual basis through the Estimates process. I am conscious of the unsatisfactory nature of this from the point of view of many organisations, but that is the system in which we must operate.

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