Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government is very supportive of the Oireachtas having an enhanced input into discussions on budgetary priorities.

It is for this reason that the programme for Government contains a commitment to establish a parliamentary budget office following on from the recommendations of very report to which Deputy Ryan referred. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission met with officials from my Department in December last year to discuss the matter of staffing generally. I know that at this meeting the commission agreed to furnish a staffing review to my Department to allow informed consideration of all future staffing requests, including that of the head of the parliamentary budget office.

The Oireachtas submitted this review to my Department on 17 February 2017 and sanction for the head of the parliamentary budget office has now been issued.

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