Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

It is intended to publish the Estimates on 17 November. With regard to the report of the Committee of Public Accounts, my colleague, the Minister for Finance, announced in budget 2005 that he intended to consider reforms of the budgetary and Estimates process. He extended an invitation to the House to make suggestions as to how such improvements could be made while maintaining the right and duty of the Government to direct and manage the budgetary process. He has been examining proposals in this regard and the report of the Committee of Public Accounts is a welcome contribution to those deliberations.

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