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

The Deputy referred to a question I dealt with in the House yesterday on the Department of Health. To give that figure more context, it must be acknowledged that up to the end of April, health expenditure was very much in line with what it had been budgeted for. However, there was a change in May which had an effect on the year-to-date figure. I am engaged in forming a view on what will happen at the end of June, which we will know in the next week and a half, and whether there are any changes or measures which need to be put in as a consequence.

The Deputy referred to our capital ceilings. I have just had a big debate on the national broadband plan. That must be viewed in the context of the fact that the additional funding we have needed to find for current expenditure in the Department of Health has been significantly bigger than any of the figures we have debated this morning concerning capital projects. This is why IFAC was so critical of that development.

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