Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am still a bit confused about what structures - assuming we are going to come up with structures - can facilitate a budget oversight committee that can in any way participate in the process of the preparation of budgets, given the legislative constraints and the secrecy which Deputy Calleary described as being endemic among Secretaries General and the Government. I am not sure, as much as we all want it not to be, that this is going to be anything other than superficial even when it is set up. Perhaps that is just me being a pessimist. For now, I would suggest that we hear whatever information the guys are prepared to give us today and take some time to digest further the papers that have been prepared for us. Then, between now and next week, either individually, collectively or on a party basis and based on what we hear today and on the briefing material, we should make a stab at what we feel the framework might look like. We will then have 14 or 15 versions to discuss. Otherwise we are wasting our time. While I would love to participate and would love this committee to get involved in what should or should not be involved in the forthcoming budget and how it is prepared, it is not in our terms of reference and, therefore, we cannot do that.