The government must address the imbalance in State spending in the upcoming Budget.
That's the call from Waterford Independent TD Matt Shanahan.
A total budget package of €6.4 billion has been confirmed in the Summer Economic Statement, with half of that already allocated.
The Summer Economic Statement has been published revealing the Government will spend an extra 5.2 billion euro, with 1.1 billion allocated for tax cuts.
Of that, €3.2 billion is already allocated - meaning there will be a two billion euro pot for new spending measures.
Deputy Shanahan has called for money to be allocated towards what he has called "ramshackle hospitals, unreliable public transport, and dangerous roads."
"In the coming weeks, the budget will be formed and presented to this House. It must be said that no other democratic parliament would accept such a black box of spending. We will see the money going in. There will be more than €12 billion in capital expenditure next year, the bits and bobs that may find our ramshackle hospitals, our unreliable public transport and our patchy and dangerous roads."
"We see tinpot examinations of public spending but no serious energy is expended on seriously addressing the imbalance in State spending", continued Deputy Shanahan.
"Most of all, we will see the haves and the have-nots, the winners and the losers, of the public trough. The politics of old Ireland are alive and well in public spending disbursement but it is no longer "Ballymagash". It is now Blanchardstown and Blackrock, to be fair. In presenting the upcoming budget, will the Government allow the people to see where the money is being spent?".
Responding to Deputy Shanahan, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said plans are in place.
"It has only been a few weeks since we published the performance reports of our public services, which laid out for every Vote what the money is being used for and what output it delivers to citizens. With regard to the Department of Health, a capital plan is published by the HSE. We also have a Minister for Health, a Minister for Public Expenditure, a National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and a chief executive of the HSE who regularly appears before various Oireachtas committees to answer questions regarding the use of money."
