Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that final sentence that the Minister has committed to and would expect that his colleagues in Cabinet would be forthcoming with that information at the earliest possible opportunity. Notwithstanding my recognition of the need to have multi-annual funding envelopes for various Departments and commitments, I am well aware of Fianna Fáil's commitment to the disability sector and a multi-annual funding envelope being provided for that many years ago, for which there was not a great deal of representation made by others and which, thankfully, has set in train a process that has been followed. In these times, having come through the difficult period we all have come through and considering a previous Government was successful in bringing about two thirds of the adjustment that was necessary and that the Government has now spent seven years completing the other third, as well as considering that there is potential for increased expenditure across various capital expenditure programmes, I would say to the Minister that when it is in the order of €1.5 billion in the forthcoming year, especially as we are about to complete the three-year agreement we had, we would like to know in advance what exactly will be laid out before the public regarding the commitments from a capital expenditure perspective that will be made in the forthcoming year.

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