Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to raise another matter relating to the work programme. On a previous occasion I raised the issue of economic and social rights and building them into the budgetary and forecasting procedures and value-for-money assessments. It is something Amnesty International and other organisations are pressing for and it increasingly has currency internationally. In fact, the Constitutional Convention considered the matter of economic and social rights in the Constitution and looked favourably on the proposal, so it is a matter that is very much in the political mix in this State as well.

It is not on the work programme to have a hearing on these issues but I wish to press the issue again. The reason is that when we scrutinise spending we do so on the basis of value-for-money considerations and judgments, transparency and so forth. However, there is another layer of considerations in the spending and allocation of resources and they are binding on a Government in this State.

They concern economic and social rights and, as a committee, we need to develop an understanding of them. I reiterate to the Chairman and to the committee that I believe it would be a worthwhile exercise to invite in, for example, Amnesty International and other organisations to familiarise ourselves with those concepts and that approach. I appreciate that is not on the clár and that it will not happen this side of Easter.