Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Professor Barrett and his colleagues. Does he envisage the ESRI not having a formal relationship with the new committee as such? Does he see it giving information or advice at particular intersections in the fiscal and budgetary cycles without, in fact, having a formal relationship? Would the institute need significant additional capacity such as 100 staff to adequately assist the committee and resource it if a formal relationship was required? It is now significantly bigger than it was before the crash. There was criticism of it in the run-in to the crash.

Professor Barrett has stressed that data are crucial. I had a similar experience to that of Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett when I brought before the last Dáil my High Pay and Wealth Commission Bill which the Government refused to advance. At the time, I was of the view that there were large gaps in the data available, especially data indicating the level of interaction with Revenue. Is there a web of information which we do not have but which other countries’ budget committees do? In Norway everybody knows what everyone earns and how much wealth everyone has. Is that something we should try to advance?