Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I am confident that the expenditure ceilings for the health budget this year are robust. They need, however, to be tracked every single month, as they are. I engage in this matter with the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, who is as committed as I am. In respect of maintaining discipline on overall Government expenditure, it is evidenced by the fact that expenditure in the first three months of the year was, as I said, below profile. Last year, after we had made a needed revision of health budget figures, expenditure came in below the Estimate for 2016 which, in turn, allowed us to make some decisions on, for example, payment of the Christmas bonus. The discipline and commitment are evident. The commitment in respect of maintaining discipline and making sure we meet our commitments will be particularly important in the light of the difficult decisions we will have to make on budget 2018.

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