Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government has already acted to put a reserve fund in place. We have contributed to that for some years. The Government will ensure that we do not make the mistakes made in the past of relying on a revenue stream that turns out not to be consistent over time. We will ensure that we invest for the future but there are also many pressures on families today and we also need to respond to that. The Deputy saw that in last year's budget. Since then, we have spent almost €12 billion supporting families and businesses across Ireland through the extraordinary pressures of cost increases that we have seen over the last 18 months or so. This is about using money well and ensuring that we plan for the future. We know we will face future shocks especially when we consider the last seven years. Very few people predicted the Brexit result. Certainly, nobody predicted an international pandemic. Very few people predicted the brutality that we are seeing in the war in Ukraine right now with its impact on the economy. We need to plan for uncertainty in the future but that is exactly what we are trying to do.

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