Jack Chambers

So that's in the context of an increasing budget.

So our budget this year is 118 billion.

It's due to grow to 125 billion in 2027.

And it's government departments are absorbing a levy in the context of a growing budget.

And essentially, it's helping government departments create the space for themselves in advance of Budget 27 so they can maximise efficiencies, but also improve service delivery.

Absolutely not.

And it's about greater efficiencies in terms of how we deliver services.

And I think that's sometimes the problem, like where we solely measure progress by how much expenditure might increase.

And I would say, whether it's in health service delivery or in other areas, it isn't solely about what more we allocate.

It's about challenging the systems, the management within the public service.

I believe that we need to have a balance between how much more we give to an area and how productive or efficient it is in terms of the base level of expenditure.

And that's why we're doing what happens across many other administrations where we have an efficiency levy or an expenditure levy.

where essentially we allow departments to create their own space by driving efficiencies in a budgetary cycle where they're getting more.

So, for example, education spend went up 10% last year, excluding the increase we've given them this year.

It'll actually go up by about 15% because we're a government that cares about special education.

We want to provide school places for children who need them, particularly with increased special education demand.

And public services matter to me as a local TD in Dublin West and as a government minister.

But I want to ensure that the level of expenditure overall delivers more for people.

And that isn't about how much more we give to a particular area.

It's about forcing reform and driving more efficiencies within the overall level of spend.