Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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245. To ask the Minister for Finance if the Budget Statement 2016 will be drafted with full regard to the expenditure benchmark; and further to Parliamentary Question No. 43 of 3 December 2014, if he will provide an update on these figures. [8138/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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After Ireland corrects its EDP in 2015, it will enter the preventive arm of the Stability & Growth Pact from 2016 onwards. This will mean that Ireland will be subject to a series of fiscal rules, including the achievement of our Medium Term Objective (MTO) through the annual improvement in the structural balance and the Expenditure Benchmark. In developing Budget 2016, Ireland will comply with the requirements of the Stability & Growth Pact. 

With regard to an update of the figures in Parliamentary Question No. 43 of 3 December 2014, the general government expenditure forecasts are unchanged to those published in Budget 2015. The Spring Economic Statement due to be announced in April will contain revised forecasts for general government expenditure.