Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree with that. There is a need to be cognisant of what independent forecasters are saying. The forecasting ability of the Department in years gone by is well documented. I am not sure what the Department has done with the mid-term statement that is sitting in our pigeonholes but I am sure the forecasts have again been downgraded for this year and next year, and, if the trend continues, they will be downgraded again in the future.

Will Mr. Palmer take me through the key question about this proposal? I understand the Department will have two options: first, it can decide to ask the fiscal council for its macroeconomic forecast and then base the budgetary arithmetic on its forecasts; second, the Department can produce the macroeconomic forecast, as it does currently, and then seek the endorsement of the fiscal council. With regard to the latter option, that is fine if the fiscal council agrees to endorse the forecast, but what is the Department's position if it does not endorse it?