JOINT COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 26 Oct 2005

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

The first item on the agenda is the minutes of the meeting of 19 October 2005. The draft minutes have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed. Is it agreed that there are no items arising from the minutes? Agreed.

There are a few items of correspondence. A schedule has been circulated. We received a letter from the Journal Office referring the Statute Law Revision (Pre-1922) Bill 2004 to the select committee. As this committee shadows both the Department of Finance and the Department of the Taoiseach and this legislation comes through the Office of the Taoiseach and it is the Chief Whip who brought it forward, the select committee will be dealing with it on Committee Stage in perhaps two or three weeks' time.

Deputy Ó Caoláin

The Chair has been a little quick for me in regard to the minutes of the previous meeting, I see no reference to what was a substantial discussion on how we should proceed regarding the case of an individual with tax concerns.

Chairman

That was discussed at the meeting of 12 October. Deputy Paul McGrath suggested that we consider the report. Our permanent clerk is on leave for a short period and deliberations on the feasibility of whether the committee will do a report or go back to the Minister have not concluded. We will have it for the next meeting.

Deputy Ó Caoláin

I am not so sure the Chair is right in stating that this was discussed at the previous meeting. However, I must accept his view. I have not seen the minutes recording the decision.

Chairman

The Deputy is correct. At the last meeting we agreed to defer the minutes of the meeting of 12 October. We have not produced the minutes of that meeting yet.

Deputy Ó Caoláin

I am not entirely confused, which is great news for me. Being mindful of the decisions we took, which incorporated an amalgam of proposals from both me and Deputy Paul McGrath, I would like that in the circulation of correspondence to the committee, the correspondence from the committee arising from issues raised and decided upon would also be circulated to members.

Chairman

Would the Deputy run that by me again? What precisely is the suggestion?

Deputy Ó Caoláin

Correspondence that the committee receives is circulated to us. I am asking that correspondence that the committee generates as a result of discussion and decision-making should also be circulated to members because it is impossible to follow or track a particular issue. I was quite concerned about the rights of the citizen in question under the tax laws, being mindful that it has echoes and reverberations for all in society. I would like those items of correspondence to the Minister and the correspondence regarding the investigation as to referral to the Dáil to be circulated to members in order that we can see exactly what has been done since.

Chairman

We can agree to that. No correspondence relating to this matter has issued since the meeting on 12 October. However, I issued a letter of invitation to the Ministers for Finance and Health and Children to attend to discuss tax relief. That has not been circulated. Letters emanating from the committee have not been circulated.

Deputy Ó Caoláin

Can that be done?

Chairman

It can. It has not happened up to now but I see no good reason that it should not be done.

Deputy Ó Caoláin

I appreciate that.

Chairman

The next item is a fax from the individual taxpayer regarding the Revenue Commissioners and the Ombudsman. I suggest that we deal with it at the next meeting.

Deputy Ó Caoláin

I agree. The individual citizen is as up to date as we are, having sight of the transcript of the debate of the joint committee, and it is impossible to comment further unless we see what we have stated further in correspondence and whether replies have been received.

Chairman

We will certainly do that. The final item of correspondence is a newsletter entitled In Focus. We will note it. If any member wishes to have a copy, it can be obtained from the secretariat.