David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Chairman always uses the word "brief" when it comes to me. I hope I get the same time as everybody else. I thank him for his clarification.

I welcome the Ministers. The Government's submission was helpful in the sense that it set out the new budgetary cycle. We have had discussions on this. As the Minister, Deputy Noonan, put it, we are a scoping or arrangements committee which is considering putting in place a new budgetary scrutiny committee. I want to hear his views on how we can make that committee as empowered as possible. In response to the previous matter, the Minister said he wants greater parliamentary input and scrutiny. There will be no end of scrutiny, but we can differ on input in terms of the powers the committee will have.

Article 17.2 of the Constitution will be crucial because if the Opposition or Members of the Oireachtas in general cannot move money Bills or amendments which include a financial charge, that will limit the ability of the committee to have an input into policy. The Minister said he was open to new ideas. Perhaps he can expand on that. Would he agree that the current constitutional constraints make it difficult for us to have a genuine input?

Deputy Pearse Doherty referred to the relationship between sectoral committees and the new budgetary scrutiny committee that will be established. In the Minister's paper on the circulation of tax strategy group papers, it is stated that such papers would be scrutinised by the relevant sectoral committees which can then consider developing recommendations they might wish to submit to Government. I presume the Minister would want the new budgetary scrutiny committee to examine the same papers and make recommendations. Interestingly, the paper only refers to existing tax measures. One of the things I hope the new budgetary scrutiny committee will be in a position to do is examine not just Government proposals, existing tax measures or even expenditure but also alternatives. It is not all about the Government's ideas. What is the Minister's view on that?

I refer to off-balance-sheet budgeting, which is becoming more of a feature. The Taoiseach wrote to President Juncker on the use of PPPs, for example, in off-balance-sheet budgeting. Would the Minister see a role for the new budgetary scrutiny committee in that area at a macro level? Would it be an area into which we would have more of an input in terms of policy? I would certainly see it in that light.

My final question relates to information flows. Given the new budgetary cycle, there would be no shortage of information. One of the key failings up to now that I have identified - and to which the parliamentary reform committee that gave this committee its mandate referred - is the quality of the information we receive. Sometimes getting information from different Departments can be like pulling teeth. What is the view of the Minister on how we can improve the quality of the information given to the Oireachtas in general?

I refer to costings, which have been mentioned. This has been an issue for a long number of years. There was some confusion about what was in the programme for Government and our terms of reference, and what has been called a parliamentary budget office. How will the Oireachtas have much greater access to having proposals costed? The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform currently provides a very small window of opportunity in that regard, namely, a number of weeks before the budget. A much greater period needs to be provided. What is the view of the Minister on that?