By Juno McEnroe, Political Correspondent

Fianna Fáil have denied there are holes in their election spending promises after claims by Finance Minister Michael Noonan that the party has left out costings for a new public-sector pay deal.

Mr Noonan says Fianna Fáil have made commitments to increase public pay, but that its manifesto makes no actual provisions for pay increases after the current agreement expires in 2018.

The Fine Gael minister has now claimed that Fianna Fail has been caught out with a “massive deception” in its election manifesto.

Responding to the claims this morning, the party’s public expenditure spokesman Sean Fleming denied there were gaps in Fianna Fáil’s spending proposals.

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1/2 Sean Fleming -FF will end the FEMPI leg within 2 yrs but will not reinstate full pay cuts then #ge16 #rtenews pic.twitter.com/zB24HNugg6

— Martina Fitzgerald (@MartinaFitzg) February 18, 2016

Fianna Fáil |has proposed a €8.6bn plan over the next five years as opposed to Fine Gael’s €10.1bn.

Deputy Fleming said the minister in previous comments had pointed out that it would be unwise to predict public-sector pay increases ahead of emergency financial legislation being unwound and negotiations beginning between the Government and worker representatives.

Deputy Fleming said Fianna Fáil stood over their figures and had taken a “prudent” approach and that Minister Noonan had not by including an extra €1.5bn in spending in its plan.

The actual amount in pay increases for public service workers after the Lansdowne Road Agreement concludes in 2018 would depend on the fiscal space available then, added Mr Fleming.

Fianna Fáil is predicting that by then there would be a reduced cost of living which would help negotiations on any new pay deal, he added.