Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2016
375. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has seen the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council report of June 2016; his assessment of the report as it relates to new spending priorities in the programme for Government; and the cost of implementing the programme for Government and the cost of policy proposals within his remit. [15901/16]
View answerI note that the Fiscal Assessment Report welcomes the commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government in relation to compliance with fiscal rules and reform of the budget process to allow for greater scrutiny.
Within the context of ensuring compliance with the fiscal rules, the Programme contains a commitment to spend at least €6.75 billion more on public services by 2021 compared to 2016. This will allow expenditure to be increased to meet the additional costs arising from an ageing and growing population and to provide for targeted improvements in public services. In addition, the Government proposes a cumulative additional €4 billion in Exchequer capital investment up to 2021.
The Fiscal Assessment Report outlines that the Programme does not set out a detailed costing of policy proposals. In this regard, as outlined in the Programme, for every policy challenge, the new Government will ensure that a balance is struck between addressing urgent priorities - utilising the action plan framework set out in the Programme document - and engaging in long-term planning and thinking, so that lasting solutions with broad based support are implemented.
In order to implement this approach effectively in practice, a key action for the Government's first hundred days is securing agreement with the Oireachtas on putting in place a reformed budget process. This is intended to secure a significantly more participatory approach, underpinned by a substantially enhanced Dáil input into and feedback on the development of budgetary priorities.
It is envisaged that an important element of this new model will be to facilitate appropriate consultation and engagement on the costings of specific measures intended to respond to particular Programme priorities, as well as examining how these measures align with overall fiscal parameters.
This new approach will have a central role to play in guiding and informing deliberation by the Oireachtas on budgetary options and in shaping the Government's budgetary proposals for specific measures to deliver the Programme priorities.
