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

The Deputy is correct that Exchequer returns will be available to me late on Wednesday evening. They will be announced on Friday in the normal way. Not only do those returns reflect the monthly position, they are also a reflection of the end-of-quarter position at the end of September. With the information available as of yesterday evening, they will either be on profile or slightly ahead. They may, in fact, be a little bit more ahead. One never knows what is going to happen in the final days of a tax returns period, especially in a VAT month. That is the position. Any additional resources that come in can be used, for example, to fund Supplementary Estimates for 2015 but they cannot be carried over in terms of 2016. In calculating the base for 2016 and tax flows for 2016, stronger flows on individual heads coming into the fourth quarter of the year could influence the estimation. We have already sent our forecasts to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, however, so there is little or no scope for moving beyond the parameters of 1.2% to 1.5%. In any event, it is my policy, as Minister for Finance - that policy is endorsed by the Government - that we remain within that particular scope for the budget.

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