Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is clear from Mr. Wright's report that he is not a fan of social partnership. For example, on page 23 he states:

[A] very poor budgetary process obscured ministerial and Government accountability to Parliament, and was overwhelmed by other spending processes – Programmes for Government and
Social Partnership.

On page 25, he goes on to state:

Over the ten year period of review, the Programme for Government and Social Partnership Processes helped overwhelm the Budget process. Instead of providing an appropriate fiscal framework for prioritisation of competing demands on the Government's overall agenda, the Budget essentially paid the bills for these dominant processes.

Looking at the table on page 22, which shows the difference between what was set out in budgets compared with what was proposed earlier in the fiscal year, is it fair to say that Mr. Wright's view is that Government economic policy over that period was really about electoral cycles and social partnership as distinct from prudent government? Does he not believe that social partnership contributed to cohesion within the economy?