Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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43. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will include a stimulus package in Budget 2014; if he will provide capital investment to build social housing units to address the ongoing housing crisis and to provide much needed employment for those on the live register. [41299/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, my colleague Brendan Howlin, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced at the start of the summer, a stimulus package which included €150 million to be invested school projects, local road maintenance and repairs, and a Local Authority Energy Efficiency Scheme. This package will help create jobs throughout local communities as it is focused on small scale capital works which tend to be more labour intensive than major new build projects. With regard to further a stimulus package in Budget 2014, I am not prepared to be drawn into speculation on budgetary matters at this time. However, I will say that preparations for the Budget are well underway in my Department, in the Department of Public Expenditure and that expenditure on capital investment is a matter for my colleague Brendan Howlin, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.