Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Given the Minister's indication that fuller responses would be provided, I do not intend to press amendment No. 12. On amendment No. 13, the Minister said we could arrange this with the Whips, and that is fine. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform already has discussions with the Fiscal Council on its reports. They are discussions, not debates - a significant difference.

This amendment would place an obligation on this Chamber to have debates on the reports of the council. The Fiscal Council would continue to issue reports as it has done in the past. The amendment would not oblige the House to have a debate on any of those reports, although we can have one if we so desire with the agreement of the Whips. The amendment is specific to section 8(3) of the Bill, which states that assessments issued by the Fiscal Council must state whether exceptional circumstances exist or no longer exist - which is significant, because the targets need not be met in exceptional circumstances; whether there is a failure to reach the targets as defined within section 6(1); or whether, during any period under the plan, progress is being made in accordance with the plan. Such a report would be big stuff. That is not to diminish any of the other reports the Fiscal Council would issue in the meantime. Its proposals on budgetary matters are significant. However, this is about complying with the legislation and with the treaty that has been passed in the State. It is not a routine report. Hopefully, this report will never need to be issued and we will not have to develop plans. I hope there will be growth in the economy and we will see these issues dealt with through those measures. However, in the event that exceptional circumstances do exist or that there is non-compliance with section 6(1) in the eyes of the Fiscal Council, it must issue a report. The provision states that if the Government agrees with the report, there will be no debate. However, if the Government disagrees with the report, it must, within two months of the report's publication, lay before the Dáil its assessment of why it does not agree.

This amendment is quite small. Basically, it suggests that given the significance of this, we should allow for a debate. I am the last person to want to tie the House up in debate after debate, but this would be in the event of a significant report from the Fiscal Council with regard to the core issue of the treaty and the legislation. The Minister is correct in stating that if the Whips get together and agree this it is fine, but where the advice is not complied with, which would put us in breach of the treaty obligations, there should be a debate in the House. That should be the norm.

We both know that if the Fiscal Council were to issue a report on these issues and the government of the day rejected it, a debate would take place. Any fair-minded person believes that is the case. However, we cannot predict a situation in which a future government might be in unique circumstances and might decide not to have a debate. This amendment just establishes a safeguard by providing that this House of the Oireachtas debate such a significant decision, given that such a report is being rejected by the government of the day despite the fact that it is core to the European obligations to which we signed up in the referendum. It is an amendment the Minister should consider agreeing to, perhaps when the Bill comes before the Seanad.

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