Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is well aware of the OECD report launched last month on budget oversight by the Parliament in Ireland, which was commissioned by the Houses of the Oireachtas. This report recommended a number of changes if we are to improve the ratings that put Ireland at the bottom of the ranking of OECD countries in terms of the level of budget engagement by the Houses of the Oireachtas. The committee secretariat had already been working to make improvements in how Estimates are presented to committees before this report was issued and over the past year, it has engaged intensively with eight Departments.

Our committee has already done considerable work with the OPW on improving the quality of performance measures it includes in its Estimates. We now encourage and request that the Minister's Department engages closely with the secretariat early in 2016 to begin the process of making its performance, targets and outputs more outwardly focused, meaningful and measurable to both the committee and the broader public. We also ask for his support and co-operation as the House moves to implement the broader OECD recommendations in co-operation with Departments so that we can work together to improve transparency and ensure public moneys are spent as effectively as possible. I know the Minister has a strong interest in this and that he is very well aware of the report but maybe he will give us his own comments on the recommendations in the new year.