Fine Gael leader Mr Michael Noonan TD has said that public spending should be funded by using money from the National Pension Reserve Fund.
Speaking on RTÉ radio, Mr Noonan said the fund, which was set up to pay pensions from 2025, would be better spent investing in infrastructure "because the best guarantee of pensions in the future is the prosperity of the economy."
Speaking on RTÉ radio, Mr Noonan said he could see "no merit in investing Irish pension funds in office blocks in downtown Tokyo" while there was a need to improve transport systems and other capital projects at home.
The Fine Gael leader added that his party’s election manifesto would be fully costed and that he had no plans to increase income tax.
Mr Noonan said public-private partnerships "should fund a significant proportion" of the national plan thereby alleviating the need to raise taxes.