Questions

212. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has carried out or commissioned any assessment of the effect of euro area monetary policy since 2015, including the ECB's asset purchase programmes and the subsequent tightening of interest rates, on Irish house prices, rents and the general cost-of-living; if so, the findings of such assessment; if not, the reason; and if he will m…

613. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the evidential basis for continuing to rely on the Revenue ready reckoner estimates for forecasting the Exchequer yield from tobacco excise increases given that the model does not explicitly incorporate behavioural responses such as product substitution, switching to illicit tobacco products or cross-Border purchasing; and if he will make a statement…

172. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the long-term fiscal risks identified by his Department in relation to rising recurrent spending, falling windfall corporation tax receipts, and age-related expenditure, in the context of IFAC's warning that the State is 'budgeting like there is no tomorrow'; and if he will publish any departmental risk-management plans. [67754/25]

366. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance if his Department has conducted stress-testing or scenario analysis to assess Ireland's exposure to a potential economic downturn in 2026 and 2027; whether fiscal contingency plans are in place to mitigate same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63588/25]

91. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance given the recent completion of the State’s investment recovery in AIBGroup €390million returned, the final accounting position on the bank bailout including all direct and contingent costs; the amount of the funds that are earmarked for regional investment or will be returned to the Exchequer; and the assessment that has been made as to how Cork-based businesses a…

128. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance in view of the warning by the Central Bank Governor about overheating ahead of Budget 2026, if he will outline the fiscal rules currently guiding expenditure growth; the projected capital and current spending trajectory for 2026–2029; and the measures in place to ensure budgetary discipline in the event of external shocks, such as energy price spikes or trade dis…

266. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance if he has conducted an assessment of the likely impact on Irish pharmaceutical exports and State tax receipts of recent tariff announcements by the United States administration; and the contingency measures being considered in Budget 2026 to mitigate any fiscal risk arising from changes in U.S. trade policy. [52761/25]

234. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance his assessment of the degree of exposure of the Irish economy to external trade shocks arising from multinational dependency and international trade tensions; the contingency plans that exist to safeguard employment and Exchequer revenues in such a scenario; whether diversification of inward investment forms part of the Government’s current economic strategy; and…

225. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance whether he has considered strengthening fiscal rules or expenditure benchmarks to ensure that growth in current spending does not outpace the long-term sustainable growth rate of the economy. [50417/25]

205. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance in view of the September 2025 warnings from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council about Government overspending relative to agreed targets, the immediate measures being taken to contain expenditure within sustainable levels; and if he will detail the contingency planning in place if corporate tax revenues fall short of expectations in 2025/2026. [49508/25]

209. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance if he will detail the contingency planning in place if corporate tax revenues fall short of expectations in 2025/2026. [50020/25]

212. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in view of the September 2025 warnings from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council about Government overspending relative to agreed targets, the immediate measures being taken to contain expenditure within sustainable levels. [49509/25]

313. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance his views on the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council’s warning that the €9.4 billion Budget package risks overheating the economy; and the means by which he intends to reconcile these fiscal pressures with the urgent need to reduce child poverty. [48350/25]

314. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a breakdown of how much of the projected €8 billion fiscal gap (after excluding excess corporation tax) will be addressed by sustainable, recurring revenue sources rather than temporary windfalls. [48351/25]

315. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance given the IFAC’s warning on Ireland’s fiscal overexposure to volatile corporation tax receipts, the steps being taken to broaden the revenue base and safeguard fiscal stability, in particular to sustain infrastructural investment in Cork. [48379/25]

374. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he accepts the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council’s assessment that the credibility of the Budget process is being undermined by the concealment of spending overruns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48393/25]

375. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the measures being taken to ensure that spending forecasts for Budget 2026 reflect realism and transparency, in line with IFAC recommendations. [48394/25]

376. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to detail the total cost of expenditure overruns, by Department in 2025 to date; and the corrective actions, if any, being implemented to manage these overruns. [48395/25]

377. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will commit to publishing quarterly reports on departmental spending variances in order to prevent the concealment of overruns and to restore public trust in the budgetary process. [48396/25]

378. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he accepts the warning of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council that persistent overspending without disclosure risks overheating the economy and undermining fiscal stability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48397/25]

390. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in view of the Fiscal Advisory Council’s report that current spending is exceeding targets, if he will publish sector-by-sector projections for 2026 and 2027, to demonstrate the government’s capacity to maintain critical services without undermining fiscal stability. [48863/25]

396. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide a full breakdown, by Department, of current expenditure overruns to date in 2025, including voted expenditure; and how these figures compare with the allocations approved in Budget 2025. [49382/25]

643. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the total annual expenditure by the State on the non-profit and NGO sector for each of the past five years, disaggregated by Department and agency. [46638/25]

645. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the Government will consider re-establishing an independent mechanism for tracking and publishing the flow of public monies to the non-profit sector, given that Ireland remains without such a body since 2021. [46641/25]

646. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department has analysed how Ireland’s public expenditure on NGOs compares with other European Union member states as a proportion of GDP; and if he will publish these findings. [46644/25]