Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The impact of this legislation will be to create a new Department. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, will continue to oversee the big picture operation, while the Minister with responsibility for public expenditure and reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, will deal with Ministers individually in respect of Voted moneys.

A comprehensive spending review is ongoing and will be finished by September, after which date the Government will have a clear picture of how best to proceed, given the realities of its findings. Ministers will sit down with the Minister for Finance in respect of the proposals made in the preparation of the budget for 2012. We have not yet fixed a date for the announcement of the budget, but when we get through the comprehensive spending analysis, we will be in a much clearer position to give dates for the publication of Estimates and announcement of the budget. We will give them as soon as we get a fix on the matter.

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