Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I note the answer to this question is not much different from the answer to my initial priority question. Again, I am disappointed that the Minister's submission has not yet been made to CER. I am also disappointed that I have not yet had access to it but I await its publication in a matter of weeks, as the Minister said, although I would have thought it would be in a matter of days considering how long this has been going on.

The Minister said there is an intergovernmental report that will determine what is contained within his submission. Am I to divine from this that he has sought input from other Ministers who have a responsibility, not only at Cabinet but by virtue of the Departments they represent? For example, to arrive at a free allowance, I presume the Department of Social Protection would have a role, and other Departments, including perhaps the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, in regard to the first fix policy. Obviously, the level of Exchequer subvention would emanate from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform or the Department of Finance.

If that is the case, will the Minister make public the information that has been derived from that intergovernmental group and the relevant Departments contained within it? Will they too make a submission or will it simply be formulated and put into the mix for the Minister's submission? That being the case, will the Minister publish the information he received from those Departments?

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