Budget scrutiny falls short of Fine Gael plan

FUTURE budgets are to be opened up to greater scrutiny, but the reforms fall short of Fine Gael’s pre-election plan to force ministers for finance to heed independent advice or tell to the public why it was ignored.

This “comply or explain” obligation was a key part of Fine Gael’s strategy to ensure governments kept within the spending targets laid down by an independent fiscal council and a budgetary office. However, in the new budget blueprint announced by Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin, the timetable has been kept but the requirement to explain discrepancies did not form part of it.

According to Mr Howlin’s schedule, ministers will have to appear before Oireachtas committees each spring to discuss their plans to spend money under three-year allocations. This will be followed in April with a multi-year spending statement which will allow ministers to take on board the views of Oireachtas committees and the Fiscal Council.