No publication of fiscal review

THE COMPREHENSIVE spending review undertaken by all Ministers in the past number of months will not be published, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said, in an apparent U-turn. He said the information would be available but would not be published.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin had asked about the commitment in the programme for government and the commitment by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to publish the results of its comprehensive review of public sector expenditure. He asked if it would be published before elections on October 27th.

Mr Kenny said he did not think the Minister was going to publish the review as it came in to him.

“The information that is going to be made available as we prepare the three-year fiscal programme will be available for debate and discussion here.”

The Taoiseach said he planned “fairly radical” changes to allow TDs to give their opinions based on information supplied in the spending review, in advance of the Estimates and the budget.

When Mr Martin asked why the review was not going to be published, Mr Kenny said the Minister “has to make a judgment as to where we go as the Cabinet and the decisions we have to make”..

Asked later by Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams if there were any plans to reform the presidential election nomination process, Mr Kenny said it was an issue which the constitutional convention, to be established next spring, could consider.