Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I agree with the Deputy that the decisions taken in the budget are the collective responsibility of the Cabinet. The economic management council is not the Cabinet. The Deputy will be aware that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced a comprehensive expenditure review across all Departments very early on in the summer with Ministers to respond to him by the end of September. The submissions were further analysed and dealt with. The decisions taken are Cabinet decisions taken collectively and they affect every single Department right down the line. No section of any Department, with very few exceptions, has been left untouched in respect of the expenditure review assessment.

The economic management council is not the Cabinet. It can deal with issues and bring them before Cabinet for it to decide to accept or whatever but the decisions taken are the collective responsibility of all the members around the table. That has not changed and will not change.

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