Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We have actually got through a good deal, and there is much common agreement. For example, we agree that there should be a social impact poverty assessment in the budget. We also agree that there should be gender-based budgeting, which would consider the impact on men and women, but we must also consider the impact on people of different ages, particularly older people. All of these are standard in other parliaments' budgetary processes and perhaps the budgetary oversight office has all of this laid down already. There is a good deal of common agreement here but to answer Deputy McGrath's question, if this works there will not be a big bang announcement on budget day because we will know broadly the parameters of the budget. It is a separate issue as to whether the individuals and the parties agree with the proposals. That is the politics of it, but we have heard many good proposals.

On the tax side and the point made by Deputy Donnelly, in terms of information, we will need to raise some issues regarding the tax raising side and, separately, the expenditure side such as the cost of tax breaks regarding ones that exist already or that may be proposed, and, as Deputy Donnelly said, the efficiency and effectiveness of various tax-raising measures.

That is a good list. As we get down to work we can go into it in more detail. Perhaps we could hear from the people in the proposed parliamentary budget office with regard to what they see as their role. What services will be available to the people who will be on the new committee? In other countries the people on the budget committees have direct information resources available because they are representatives of their parties or Independent Members. If we heard from the proposed budgetary office it might lead us in the right direction. There is considerable agreement innately between people in light of what we have said so far.