Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 27:

In page 5, between lines 38 and 39, to insert the following:

"(d) the Minister shall, by way of regulation, provide on an annual basis, a detailed reconciliation between the macro-economic forecast and the official forecast.".".

Again, this issue was discussed at length on Committee Stage, at which time I indicated my intention to table it again on Report Stage. The intention is not to change the wording in the legislation. The Minister will recall that all of those present during the Committee Stage debate were confused by the provision that the fiscal council shall endorse as it considers appropriate the macro-economic forecast prepared by the Department of Finance and shall then provide an assessment of the official forecast. This means there will be two different documents. While one or two people may have grasped the essence of what the Minister was saying, I am not sure others did. It would be helpful if legislation is understandable to the ordinary lay person. I would be surprised if there are 50 people in Ireland who could tell the difference between the two documents concerned.

Rather than tamper with the wording of the Bill, which I am sure is in place for good reason, the amendment seeks that the Minister shall provide by way of regulation, memorandum or information to the House, on an annual basis, a detailed reconciliation between the macro-economic forecast and the official forecast. What is proposed in the amendment would not tamper with either of the definitions as set out in the legislation but would help the public to understand the difference between the two documents and to reconcile one with the other.

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