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

The stability programme update did not make reference to non-core expenditure. In one recent stability programme update we did make reference to non-core expenditure and in another we did not. The Government has not made a decision yet on whether there will be a concept of non-core spending used in budget 2025. I acknowledge the benefits of non-core expenditure, which I emphasised earlier, but non-core expenditure referred to issues that we genuinely believed to be temporary. We have to seriously consider whether some of the challenges we are confronting will genuinely be temporary. I have not yet engaged with the Cabinet on that. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, and I have to work that out.

In relation to the number of years for which we have made provision for contingency reserve, we have done it for 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Certainly, for 2025, as we move closer to the budget, we will have form a view as to whether it is adequate for next year. The figure came from an expectation regarding how much was spent this year on issues that we would now see as being non-core.

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