Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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295. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he and his Department will be preparing for the new social dialogue announced recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11113/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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In recent years this Government has implemented a programme of reforms to improve the State's budgetary architecture and to bring greater transparency and efficiency to the allocation and spending of public money.  Key elements of these reforms include the introduction of multi-annual expenditure ceilings, regular comprehensive reviews of public expenditure, and the performance budgeting initiative.

These reforms support a whole-of-year approach to the budgetary process as they facilitate consideration by the Oireachtas of the allocation of resources for the current year and also spending plans for the following years. This allows for a much broader and more strategic policy debate around overarching issues and challenges regarding the use of public resources and policy options into the future.

With Ireland set to exit the Excessive Deficit Procedure at the end of 2015, we will thereafter become subject to the preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact. In this fiscal context, the Government is now considering options, including a Spring Economic Statement and National Economic Dialogue, to further develop the whole-of-year budgetary cycle.

A National Economic Dialogue could facilitate a broad inclusive societal discussion of fiscal policy parameters and priorities for resource allocation over the coming years.  My Department is working with the Department of Finance on developing proposals for such a dialogue. It is envisaged that it would be held mid-year in a format that would facilitate an open and transparent public discussion about fiscal policy options and priorities.

With a dialogue held in mid-year, the outcome of such a dialogue could then inform the work of Government and the Oireachtas in their considerations of the Budget later in the year.