Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform

Forthcoming ECOFIN Council: Discussion with Minister for Finance

10:10 am

Photo of Michael NoonanMichael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I had communication from the secretariat yesterday and I replied that if it is satisfied regarding the committee's objective of briefing on European issues, officials will brief the committee on agenda items in advance of every meeting. I will personally brief the committee on a quarterly basis. We can go through all the issues. With regard to the budgetary process, I am open to suggestions. Now that budgets have been brought forward to mid-October, it gives us greater scope. Post-budget, there is a longer period of time when matters reflected in the Finance Bill can be discussed. The Second Stage of the Finance Bill was a pretty good discussion. By extending the time into yesterday, we had almost 11 hours of discussion. If members have suggestions on alterations to the budgetary process, I am not averse to coming in before budgets and listening to the views of committee members. I and my officials listen to the views of interest groups such as the ICMSA, the IFA, trade unions and IBEC. I will meet all the big interest groups myself and it is a reasonable request if the views of colleagues, on a cross-party basis, can be given to me in a formal setting some weeks before the budget so that I can reflect on the committee members' advice and see what I can include. I am not able to give a response until budget day so it will be a listening and debating exercise rather than arriving at conclusions.

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