Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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This gets to the nub of this. On what we are discussing today and the carbon tax issue, there was a request that both Departments develop a draft policy paper on the issue of fuel poverty and the effect of a carbon tax to allow this committee to develop a broader consensus. From what officials from both Departments have said, there seems to have been a siloed approach. Mr. Kenny mentioned his role as analysing direct taxation. Mr. Collins mentioned the CSO and external experts, but there is a serious deficit over who is taking ownership of this within the departmental structure. If at the first port of call we are seeing a failure on that front, how do the witnesses expect the public to accept a consensus around what might be announced on budget day when the work that is being requested of the Departments has not been prepared?