Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As we teased out some of these matters on Committee Stage, I will not go into too much detail on this. With regard to amendments Nos. 12 and 13, I explained on Committee Stage that I do not expect the Department to respond point for point to everything in each report issued by the Fiscal Council. However, the Department should respond to the broad thrust of its report, particularly when it makes recommendations relating to fiscal consolidation - as it has done - over the next number of years. It recommends additional consolidation above and beyond what the Government plans currently. The Department should respond to this formally and set out its position.

The Minister said he intends to respond in more detail in future and I interpret that to mean that the medium-term fiscal statement which is due to be published will contain a more detailed response to the Fiscal Council. I am satisfied with that, provided it happens. I do not want the Department to be tied up in knots responding point for point to the council's report. The current wording of section 8(6), which requires the Minister to respond to the council's assessment if he does not agree with it, is unnecessarily restrictive. However, I take the Minister's comments on that in good faith. He has given a commitment that if we require any particular Fiscal Council report to be debated in the House, consent will be given. That is good enough for me.

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