Seanad debates

Thursday, 21 November 2002

Book of Estimates, 2003: Statements.

 

Expenditure control is important. I am firmly convinced that quality of expenditure is not solely a function of ever increasing budgets. From time to time, it is healthy to have a pause for more efficient operation. Ministers who accept and work within their budgets and who can operate with only small increases do not always get enough credit for that. In some areas, one can operate with a smaller budget. At a relatively minuscule level, my former role in the Department of the Taoiseach included co-administering a small commemoration fund which was cut from £300,000 to about £50,000 but was, nonetheless, adequate for the purpose and still gave very beneficial support to projects on one sixth of the original budget. No doubt we could have spent more but not necessarily with proportionate benefit. I urge the Minister not to fall into the trap of employing more administrators to supervise budget expenditure. For example, in third level education in Britain there is a vast amount of form filling, cross-checking and reviews which do not necessarily produce a better education system but end up costing more.

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