Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The national economic dialogue has been taking place yesterday and today, but in truth it is a farcical exercise. The dialogue is happening without any indication from Government of what the fiscal space for next year might be. We are asked to discuss expenditure without knowing how much there is to spend. As my colleague, Deputy Burton, noted last week, the summer economic statement - up to last year it was the spring economic statement - which according to the programme for Government was originally to be produced in spring, will now not appear for another couple of weeks. Last year it was published on 21 June - we were told that was because it was the first year of a new Government. This year it will probably be a month later than that.

Any notion of genuine budgetary oversight has gone out of the window. Certainly, the notion of meaningful input from a committee of the House is gone. Instead of open and accountable budgeting, we are forced to look at the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to give us titbits of information on economic planning. He has told us he expects approximately €500 million of fiscal space to be available. He reiterated last week that this would be divided in a 2:1 ratio between spending and tax cuts. Indeed, the Taoiseach has indicated that tax cuts are higher up the list than any welfare increases to the most vulnerable.

If a third of the funding is used for tax cuts, it would leave €335 million for public spending, €180 million of which is already ring-fenced for the new public sector pay deal. That will leave a grand total of €155 million for investment in public services next year. Over the past three years, additional spending in health alone came to €300 million in 2015, €910 million in 2016 and €500 million in 2017, this year. There is no way the Government can produce a realistic Estimate for the Department of Health out of €155 million. That would leave nothing for pensioners or anyone else.

When will we have the summer economic statement, setting out in clear terms the fiscal parameters for next year in order that we will not have a farcical debate but one anchored in reality? Does the Tánaiste accept there is not enough fiscal space available to allow for any tax cuts next year? When will the Committee on Budgetary Oversight be given the information it needs to do the job it is charged to do by this House?

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