Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Equality Budgeting is an approach to providing greater information on how proposed or ongoing budgetary decisions impact on particular groups in society. Equality Budgeting seeks to approach the budget as a process that embodies long-standing societal choices about how resources are used, rather than simply a neutral process of resource allocation.

Significant work has been undertaken to develop the initiative and Equality Budgeting has been expanded across multiple dimensions of equality including gender, socio-economic, disability and minority groups.

In 2019, the OECD was requested by my Department, and the Department of Justice and Equality, to conduct a scan of Equality Budgeting in Ireland. The published report supported the approach taken, and provided twelve recommendations on how to drive this initiative forward. Implementation of the report's recommendations is well advanced.

A key recommendation was the establishment of an inter-departmental network of Equality Budgeting contact points which was established last year. The group includes a senior member of staff from each department with a broad knowledge of the policy work undertaken by that department and its relevance to advancing Equality Budgeting.

Members are accountable for ensuring that policy makers in their departments are fully aware of, and implementing, Equality Budgeting policy and bringing all relevant work within their department to the attention of the Equality Budgeting unit, to ensure that strategic direction of Equality Budgeting is fully informed.

This group is playing a key role in guiding the continued progress of Equality Budgeting. Meeting agendas and minutes are published on the Equality Budgeting page of Gov.ie.

At the most recent meeting the Department of Justice gave an update on a skills and needs analysis carried out, regarding further implementation of Equality Budgeting.

In parallel to the Inter-Departmental group, bilateral engagement is a key driver of this policy and my Department maintains strong engagement with officials in the Department of Justice to increase capacity, drive implementation of this policy and share relevant knowledge.