Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
231. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will direct his Department to provide plain English and accessible versions of all Budget 2024 documents on Budget Day this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33699/23]
View answerEach year, on Budget Day, my Department publishes a range of key budgetary documentation. The intention in publishing this material is to ensure that budget day announcements are accessible and transparent. This includes the Budget Expenditure Report which sets out the public expenditure strategy, expenditure allocations by Vote and the Estimates for public services. Typically a number of analytical papers are also published each year, for example in relation to Budget 2023 a forecast of live register recipients and expenditure was published, alongside a paper on the use of carbon tax funds.
Since 2019, my Department has published a citizens guide to the Budget on an annual basis. Last year it was titled: "The Budget in Brief: Your Guide to Budget 2023" This guide is aimed at the general public and explains how money will be raised and spent in the coming year. It has an easy-to-use format so that it can be used by a wide cross-section of society. The intention of the Guide is to enable people to take part in informed debate about the choices made by Government. This Guide will continue to be published alongside the more detailed expenditure allocations published with Budget 2024.
