Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On the detail of this, I am interested to know how the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will act. For example, if it is clear that a sector like transport or agriculture may miss its targets, what levers are available to the Minister? Does he envisage a situation where he would pivot away from what might be a budgetary norm or an agreement with a Department to prioritise and refocus attention in that Department in order to enable it to meet its sectoral demands and requirements? Will the Minister apprise me of the relationship between his Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications will work and change in practice in respect of the five-year carbon budgeting cycle process? Will that structure of engagement become more regular and more formalised? Will the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications become more embedded in the annual and multi-annual budgeting process? We know that the system of making budgets is not perfect. It has hardly changed over the past century. The annual Estimates and bids process needs to change, culturally and for every other reason, particularly in the context of climate action.

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