John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Once again, all I can say to Deputy Munster, and she can only take me on my word on this, is that I am not aware of a commitment. If she states a commitment was given, I believe her. I ask Deputy Munster to bear with me for a few weeks and I will check back to see if a commitment was given. I did not give a commitment. This current Government did not give this commitment. If Deputy Munster says it was given, it was given. I do not know, and that is fair as I can say it to the Deputy.

As I said earlier, I will have a look at the expenditure again and go back to the Department. If that commitment was given and broken and the expenditure was given out elsewhere, I do not know what I can do about that. I am told that, in expenditure on existing contractual commitments over the next few months, there may very well be expenditure that will become available. If that commitment, which I and the present Government did not give, was given, I will have a look at that, I will meet Deputy Munster and I will go through everything with her to see where we can progress from here. I would not like to think that a commitment was given and not kept, but all I can say to Deputy Munster is that I did not make that commitment. I will revert back to the Deputy within a week.

See this speech in context