Published by Elaine Byrne 13 November 2015

The OECD published a preliminary draft of its Review of Budget Oversight by Parliament: Ireland this week.

The report can be accessed here. 

Key points:

• Budget oversight by the Irish parliamentary chambers is under-developed by international standards.
• 17 recommendations which include –

1. Ex ante parliamentary input to medium-term fiscal planning;
2. Ex ante parliamentary input on budget priorities;
3. Early publication of full budgetary information and legislative proposals;
4. Timely consideration of the Estimates of Expenditure;
5. Performance Dialogue with joint committees in early year;
6. Re-introduce “Pre-Budget Estimates” showing “no policy change” expenditure baselines;
7. Establish an Irish Parliamentary Budget Office to support parliamentary engagement and budget scrutiny;
8. Continuing Professional Development of parliamentarians and officials;
9. “Performance hearings” with joint committees in early part of the year (February-March);
10. Power for joint committees to recommend changes to performance information;
11. Systematic review of existing performance metrics;
12. Estimates Performance Reports;
13. Promotion of IrelandStat as an authoritative portal for public performance;
14. Linkages to higher level strategies and articulation of a “National Performance Framework”;
15. Establishment of a “National Performance Quality Panel”;
16. Role for Irish Parliamentary Budget Office in supporting performance scrutiny;
17. Selective Audit of Performance Information by the Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General in reports to the Public Accounts Committee and other committees.