Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Finance the number of meetings he or his officials have attended in relation to Budget 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45669/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2013 is the culmination of a year long budgetary process. The development of the Budget consists of many important elements, including the publication of the Stability Programme Update and the Medium-Term Fiscal Statement. Regarding the Budget, meetings take place throughout the year between my officials and officials of other organizations, such as the NTMA, the Revenue Commissioners and other Government Departments, most notably the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Suffice to say, there would be a huge quantity of meetings held in relation to the Budget. It would be extremely difficult for my Department to accurately estimate the total number of meetings that I or my officials have attended in relation to Budget 2013.

In addition, I am able to inform the Deputy of a small sample of Pre-Budget meetings with external representative groups that I have attended personally over the past number of days. These include meetings with ICTU, IBEC, the IFA, the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association and the CVP (Community and Voluntary Pillar, an umbrella body representing 17 organisations in the voluntary sector: Social Justice Ireland, Age Action Ireland, SVP, etc.) all of which I attended with my colleague, the Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Furthermore, I have individually attended Pre-Budget meetings with external representative groups over the same short time period with the Vinters’ Federation of Ireland, the Irish Road Haulage Association, Retail Ireland, and the CCAB-I, which is an umbrella body for accountancy organisations.