Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The policy issues raised in the amendments, as I said on Committee Stage, are different from the subject matter of the Bill. We had a disagreement on the matter. This Bill is ultimately concerned with the technical rules for setting limits on expenditure. The fact that I used the word “technical” on Committee Stage caused some ire with the Deputy opposite but that is the fact of the matter. Therefore, the proposed amendments are not appropriate for inclusion in this legislation.

However, considerations of equality, and a range of other issues, form an important component of all budgetary discussions by Cabinet. Cabinet procedures require that proposals put to Government indicate clearly whether there is any impact of the proposal on, among other things, gender equality, persons experiencing or at risk of poverty, persons at risk of social exclusion and people with disabilities. Those considerations are taken into account when Government decisions are being made on any issue, and certainly in regard to budgetary matters.

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