Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the basis of what Senator Barrett has said, I would like to see a totally new approach to adopting a budget and Finance Bill. We should take a leaf out of what is happening in other European countries where a budget is debated substantially in advance of the Minister's address. Effectively, the Minister's address is a summing up of what has been decided by parliament. The Seanad has made an effort to hold significant debates ahead of the budget, as we did this year and last year, and I commend the Leader on arranging same. There should be a significant policy re-calibration whereby Parliament discusses the budget in detail, brings in whatever expert groups necessary to advise accordingly, and then supplies a budget recommendation to the Minister for Finance. That would be a sea change in the approach to the budget which has traditionally been the starting point of the discussion on the Finance Bill. A change merits consideration under a whole new era of political reform. I suggest that the Leader arrange a debate on changing the budget process and how we can do our business better as a parliamentary democracy. Perhaps other Senators will have useful suggestions but this is worth considering.

I commend all involved in achieving an agreement on Cyprus.