Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are holding a special meeting to consider the Estimates for public services: Vote 27 - International Co-operation; and Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade, and to discuss the 2013 allocations in the context of the multi-annual expenditure framework. On behalf of the select committee, I welcome the Tániste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, and his officials to the meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss with the Tánaiste the policy choices that might be considered so that the cost of activities of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can be made within the fixed expenditure ceiling for 2013. The expenditure ceilings for each of the years 2012 and 2013 were fixed in the context of the three-year multi-annual framework that was established by the Governments' Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-14. An indicative ceiling was set for 2014. This means that the focus of our discussion should be on how a limited provision might be allocated rather on the adequacy of the overall provision.

This is an opportunity to engage formally with the Tánaiste on his spending plans for next year before that year commences. This is a significant and a very welcome innovation in the way spending is done. It gives practical effect to one of the core principles that the Government has said runs through all its budgetary reforms. The principle is that in a democracy better decisions are made when policy makers are held to account and when the entire policy making process is subject to a parliamentary oversight, scrutiny and participation. Parliamentary input into the resource allocation process has traditionally happened only in the context of the approval of Revised Estimates. Typically, committees have not had the opportunity to consider these Estimates until half way through the year when much of the financial provision being debated had already been spent. Key to our discussion is that there is no Estimate before the committee for discussion. This is an opportunity to influence the options that will be considered in formulating the Estimates later.

The select committee had a very constructive engagement with the Tánaiste in May this year on the 2012 Estimates and it was aided by the enhanced format, which reflected the move to performance based budgeting. This select committee is the first committee to road-test the advanced scrutiny process. I know that members and the Tánaiste, as always, will engage constructively here.

I propose we hear an opening presentation from the Tánaiste and that we structure the subsequent discussion by considering each of the five programmes in turn. Are members agreeable to our proceeding in this way? Agreed. Before I invite the Tánaiste to make his presentation, I remind him that there are two new members of the select committee since he was last here. Deputy Seán Crowe has replaced Deputy Pádraig Mac Loughlainn for the Sinn Féin Party and Deputy Brendan Smith has replaced Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl for the Fianna Fáil Party. I note Deputy Olivia Mitchell is not present but she may arrive later. I am conscious that the Tánaiste is under a time constraint as he has an important meeting at 3.45 p.m. and will need to leave at 3.40 p.m. if that is agreeable to the members. I hand over to the Tánaiste.