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

I will be able to provide clarity for the Deputy a little later in the year. As things stand, budget 2020 is a long way away. Decisions on the allocation of capital funding are many months away from being made. The focus of my efforts now is on ensuring the decision we have made on how we will manage the cost of the national children's hospital this year will not affect plans for 2019. I am working to do that and believe we will do it. The Deputy has been very considered and accurate in the issues he has raised with me in recent months. If I had come into the House and said we would increase our capital spending plans for this year by €100 million, the House would have been united in saying I had torn up the plans for budget 2019 a few weeks into it. I will not do that and will deal with decisions on what will happen in 2020 and beyond later in the year.

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