Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The tables for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are carried forward on the basis of no policy change. That is where one gets the reduction. If there are no policy changes, there will be reductions, but there will be policy changes. The Government has committed to making policy changes and to using the fiscal space that has been identified for each year for extra expenditure to enhance the public services that have been damaged during the recession and to provide extra capital expenditure. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, will announce a public capital programme before the summer. That will also show this. The other issues the Deputy raised are political debating points with which I disagree, but she is quite free to hold those opinions.

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