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

I did not answer the question about the purchase of carbon credits but will do so now, so Deputy Barry should not assume an answer I have not yet given. I have not yet made any decisions about the purchase of carbon credits.

This is something I will have to do with the Minister, Deputy Denis Naughten, in the context of the coming budget.

On the Deputy's point on the affordability of childcare, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has brought in the first phase of a scheme of broader subsidies as part of how we further support the development of the childcare sector. She has also put an independent review system in place to see how that feeds into lower pricing.

It is welcome to hear Deputy Mick Barry refer to country-specific recommendations from the European Commission. I thought this was the kind of system he was against but he now appears to see the value in having the Commission make points about our economy's performance. It is welcome and this is similar to the journey made by Deputy Pearse Doherty on the role of fiscal rules in our economy

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