Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I will be making reference on budget day to where we are with regard to equality proofing and equality budgeting. I would manage the Deputy's expectations, however, by saying that we will not yet be in a place where we can extend this approach to all Government expenditure. We are working on equality proofing six specific areas: education, business, transport, culture, health, and children and youth affairs. We will include an update on where we are in the equality budgeting and the gender proofing of budgets in these and, perhaps, other specific areas when we publish the Revised Estimates Volume in the aftermath of the budget. We are working with the expert advisory working group on equality budgeting and we have a good work plan laid out for how we are going to make this work come alive over the coming year. Some of the experts who have appeared before this committee have, I think, acknowledged that the Department is trying to work to make this happen.