Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the information today. I would like to make a comment about the layout and display of the information. I do not know if it is because this committee is new that the witnesses have invented this presentation especially for it. I would like to make a suggestion, however, and I also say this to the Acting Chairman and to the secretariat. It is very unusual to get financial information, certainly even in the public sector, without getting the preceding year's figures for at least one but very often between three and five years beforehand in order that one can see the trends with the current year's outcomes clearly highlighted. Given that this is the public service, there are also profiles done of the expectations for the current year. I appreciate Dr. Walsh's point that those figures will not be available until 2018-19.

It would be very helpful to have last year's figures and a summary of three to five years before that. With current year figures, we could have the percentage increase or decrease that is represented. Perhaps a section would need to be in a different colour so as to differentiate the profiles of the various sections. That would allow us to be a little more grounded, particularly somebody like me. I find it difficult to follow some of the figures. The document looks like a Mondrian painting and I congratulate the Revenue Commissioners and whoever drew it up on its attractiveness. It is very nice.