Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is the Minister's first time in front of the committee and I hope we will have many good engagements during his period as Minister for Finance. As we enter into the budgetary process, he can trigger the process whereby his officials engage with members of the Opposition in the preparation of an alternative budget. It requires annual sanction and I ask him to sanction the process for this year - I have engaged with a number of Ministers of State in the past - in order that officials might engage with me on one particular policy issue. I ask the Minister to do so without delay, if possible.