Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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The Minister will be aware that the OECD report launched last month on budget oversight by the Parliament in Ireland, commissioned by the Houses of the Oireachtas, recommended a number of changes if we are to improve on our rating that places us as lowest of all OECD countries in terms of the level of budget engagement by the Houses of the Oireachtas. The committee secretariat had already been working to make improvements on how Estimates are presented to committees before this report was issued along with last year's intensive engagement with eight Departments. Our own committee has already done considerable work with the OPW on improving the quality of the performance measures included in its Estimates. We now request that the Minister's Department engage closely with the secretariat to begin a process of making its performance targets and outputs more outwardly focused, meaningful and measurable both for the committee and the broader public. We would ask for the Minister's support and co-operation as the Houses move to implement the broader OECD recommendations in co-operation with Departments to improve transparency and ensure public moneys are spent as effectively as possible. The Minister might at some point give us his views on the report's recommendations.