Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Equality Budgeting Initiative: Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

2:00 pm

Mr. William Beausang:

Yes, but the experts say that pilot schemes should have a relatively narrow application in the first instance. Starting off, we also looked at this in terms of focusing on some of the bigger issues but it was brought home to us that this must be practical. As Deputies will know from engagement with IHREC and the National Women's Council, people have talked around equality budgeting and gender budgeting for a long time but we must land at something that is meaningful and relevant in terms of the budgetary process and that is what we are seeking to do. We are not making major claims for what we have done thus far and we are certainly not saying that we have reached the end of the road in any sense. It is a starting point but an important one at that.