Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is telling us he has a package of a quantum of savings and efficiencies that will enable him to implement the pay restoration. However, we have a responsibility to ask the questions we are asking. If the Minister were in our position - even if he agreed with our proposal, as we do with his - he would want to know how exactly it was proposed to do it. Does he intend, for example, to rely on tax buoyancy and the expectation the tax take will be ahead of target as the year develops? Has he factored in how this measure will impact on overall spending throughout the year and into the following years? We spoke at the committee about issues like inflation and increasing staff numbers in the public sector. Will the Minister give us concrete answers to the questions we have raised?

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