I want to ask the Taoiseach a straight question, and there are no politics involved. The programme for Government commits to doing a mid-term capital review. That is under way. We understand that various Departments have made submissions to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I asked this question of the Taoiseach's predecessor and I am asking him now. Can those submissions be made available to be scrutinised in advance? I ask the question because a capital programme cannot be turned on and off easily, so we plan for a number of years ahead. In terms of some of the written replies I have received, I have concerns about certain areas. In terms of the capital review, I ask the Taoiseach that at an early date - his predecessor committed to this but it has not happened - the submissions made be published to allow this House have a proper debate on the matter.

I will discuss it with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, but it is not the normal process for submissions, whether it is to do with a capital plan, the budget or the Estimates, to be published before decisions are made. It is part of the deliberative process. It probably would not aid our efforts to come to decisions and compromises to have all those submissions in the public domain because, inevitably, Departments ask for much more than can ever be delivered and it would make it harder to have a fair outcome and a balanced compromise were all that to play out in the public domain.