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TITHE AN OIREACHTAISAn Comhchoiste um Airgeadas agus an tSeirbhís PhoiblíTUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2002/2003Eanáir 2004HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTASJoint Committee on Finance and the Public ServiceANNUAL REPORT 2002/2003January 2004
TITHE AN OIREACHTAISAn Comhchoiste um Airgeadas agus an tSeirbhís PhoiblíTUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2002/2003Eanáir 2004HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTASJoint Committee on Finance and the Public ServiceANNUAL REPORT 2002/2003January 2004Table of Contents
1. Content and Format of ReportThis Annual Report covers the period from 17th October, 2002, the date of the establishment of the Joint Committee, to 31st December, 2003. The Report has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84 (3), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69 (3), (5) and (6) (Seanad Éireann) which provide for the Joint Committee to- •undertake a review of its procedure and its role generally, •lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses, and •make an annual report to both Houses. At its meeting on 21st January, 2004, the Joint Committee agreed that its review of its procedure and role generally and minutes of its proceedings should be included in this Annual Report. 2. Functions and PowersThe Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16th October, 2002, to consider, in respect of the Departments of the Taoiseach and Finance, Bills, Estimates for Public Services and such proposals contained in any motion concerning the approval by the Dáil of international agreements involving a charge on public funds. Under the same Order, the Dáil Select Committee was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17th October, 2002, to form the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service. The principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider — •public affairs administered by the Departments of the Taoiseach and Finance, including, in respect of Government policy, bodies under the aegis of those Departments, •matters of policy for which the Taoiseach and Minister for Finance are officially responsible, •related policy issues concerning bodies which are partly or wholly funded by the State or which are established or appointed by Members of the Government or by the Oireachtas, •statutory instruments made by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance, •such proposals for EU legislation and related policy issues as may be referred to it, •strategy statements laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance, •annual reports and accounts, overall operational results, statements of strategy and corporate plans of bodies under the aegis of the Departments of the Taoiseach and Finance or bodies which are partly or wholly funded by the State or which are established or appointed by Members of the Government or by the Oireachtas. The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1. 3. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and MembershipDeputy Seán Fleming was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 13 November 2002. Deputy Michael Finneran was elected as vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on 13 November 2002. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee. Deputies M.J. Nolan and Liam Twomey are the Convenors of the Committee. Their primary function to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions. The Members of the Joint Committee are listed at Appendix 2. 4. Meetings, Attendance and RecordingMeetings of the Joint Committee and Select Committee took place in the committee rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the Committee. Televised coverage of public meetings of the Committee was broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting. Official Reports (Parliamentary Debates) of the public meetings of the Committee have been, or are in the process of being, published. These may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The Official Reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website at www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas. Copies of other reports published by the Joint Committee may be obtained from the Clerk, Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service, Kildare House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. These reports are listed in paragraph 7. Recent and future reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website. 5. Number and Duration of MeetingsThe Joint Committee met on 24 occasions in the period under report. These meetings involved more than 66 hours discussion. The Dáil Select Committee met on 18 occasions in the period under report. These meetings involved more than 60 hours discussion. 6. Work of the Committee6.1 Joint CommitteeThe Joint Committee dealt with the following matters during the period under report: Topical reportsThe Committee agreed and laid before both Houses reports on the following issues which it had selected for examination: •The Ombudsman’s Special Report on Redress for Taxpayers: During consideration of its report, the Committee discussed the issues involved with the Ombudsman and the Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners; •Hearings relating to the High Level Review Group on the Freedom of Information Act, 1997, Report to the Government and Related Matters: During consideration of its report, the Committee discussed the issues involved with the High Level Review Group, the Information Commissioner, Dr. Maeve McDonagh, the National Union of Journalists, the National Newspapers of Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, The Wheel, and One In Four. •Draft Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour: During consideration of its report, the Committee discussed the issues involved with Department of Finance officials; •Section 481 Tax Relief for the Film Industry: During consideration of its report, the Committee discussed the issues involved with Screen Producers Ireland, Ardmore Studios, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, and officials of the Department of Finance, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism; Scrutiny of proposals for EU legislationThe attention of the Committee was drawn by the Sub-Committee on European Scrutiny to a large number of proposals for EU legislation. The Committee scrutinised the following proposals in detail, discussed the issues involved with the appropriate Departmental officials and reported its opinions to both Houses of the Oireachtas: •COM(2002)207 concerning the commercial exploitation of public sector documents; •COM(2002)625 concerning the modernisation of legislation for investment services and regulated markets; •COM(2003)27 concerning a European Commission green paper to stimulate debate on the future initiatives required to support entrepreneurship in the EU. Other proposals were selected for scrutiny by the Committee, but the Committee has not yet been in a position to report on these: •COM(2002)410 concerning the introduction of special tax arrangements for diesel fuel used for commercial purposes and the alignment of excise duties on petrol and diesel fuel; •COM(2003)78 concerning administrative co-operation in the field of indirect taxation (VAT) as regards additional measures regarding supplies of travel services; •COM(2003)335 concerning the common system of value-added tax, as regards conferment of implementing powers and the procedure for adopting derogations; •COM(2003)400 concerning the parliamentary draft budget of the European Communities; •COM(2003)371 concerning a declaration system for movements of sums of money across the external borders of the EU. Motions referred by the Houses of the OireachtasThe Committee considered motions on the following matters referred to it jointly by the Dáil and Seanad. The Committee discussed the issues involved with either, as appropriate, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Tom Parlon, or officials of the Department. In accordance with the orders of referral, the Committee reported to the Houses by way of a message to their Clerks: •Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Miscellaneous Revocation) Regulations 2003; •Draft Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour; •Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2003. Visiting delegationsThe Committee discussed issues of mutual interest with a visiting delegation of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. Other issues•The Committee’s Work Programme for 2003; •Discussion with the Irish League of Credit Unions on the implications for the credit union movement of the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002; •Complaints by an individual that his tax situation had been inadequately dealt with by the Revenue Commissioners and the Ombudsman; •Discussion with Department of Finance officials on redress for victims of abuse in residential institutions; •Discussion on overseas development aid and third world debt with Department of Finance officials, the Debt and Development Coalition and Dóchas; •Discussion with officials of the Departments of Finance and Environment and Local Government on proposals for a carbon energy tax; •Discussion with Department of Finance officials on civil and public service decentralisation; •Discussion with Department of Finance officials on public private partnerships. 6.2 Dáil Select CommitteeThe Dáil Select Committee considered the following matters which had been referred to it by the Dáil during the period under report: Bills•Statute Law (Restatement) Bill 2000 [Seanad]; •National Development Finance Agency Bill 2002; •Interpretation Bill 2000; •Unclaimed Life Assurance Bill 2002; •Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002; •Finance Bill 2003; •Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, 2003 [Seanad]; •Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002. Estimates for Public Services•Supplementary Estimates for Public Services 2002 (Votes 2, 5 and 44); •Revised Estimates for Public Services 2003 (Votes 1 to 18 inclusive); •Supplementary Estimates for Public Services 2003 (Votes 5, 10, 16, 17 and 44). Motions•Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies)(No. 2) Regulations 2002; •Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and Capital Gains) (Republic of Slovenia) Order 2002; •Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and Capital Gains) (Republic of Croatia) Order, 2002; •Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Adjustment of Profits of Associated Enterprises) (European Communities) Order 2003; •Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Adjustment of Profits of Associated Enterprises) (Republic of Austria, Republic of Finland and Kingdom of Sweden) Order 2003. 7. Work in ProgressThe following work was commenced by the Joint Committee in 2003 and will be concluded in 2004: Report on the Policies of Commercial Banks regarding Customer Charges and Interest Rates The Committee began preparation of a report on the Policies of Commercial Banks regarding Customer Charges and Interest Rates. It is expected that the report will be agreed, laid before the Houses and published early in 2004. During consideration of the matter, the Committee discussed the issues involved with the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, Allied Irish Bank, Bank of Scotland (Ireland), Permanent TSB, Bank of Ireland, Educational Building Society, St. Canice’s Kilkenny Credit Union, the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Irish Payment Services Organisation. 8. TravelExpenditure from the Joint Committee’s budgetary allocation for travel was incurred in the course of the following work done on behalf of the Committee in accordance with its Orders of Reference and in connection with its work programme: •The vice-Chairman, Deputy Michael Finneran, attended a seminar entitled The New Financial Framework — Challenging EU Road for the Future in Helsinki on 27th and 28th February, 2003; •The Chairman, Deputy Seán Fleming, attended a meeting of European Economic and Monetary Committees hosted by the Economic and Monetary Committees of the European Parliament in Brussels on 22nd April, 2003; •Deputy Joan Burton attended a conference entitled New Perspectives on Public Private Partnerships in Dublin on 2nd October, 2003; •The Chairman, Deputy Seán Fleming, attended a meeting of European Budget Committees hosted by the Committee on Budgets of the European Parliament in Brussels on 7th October, 2003. The purpose of the meeting was to improve the information flow between the EU national parliaments and the European Parliament and to outline the latter’s approach to the 2004 budget; •Deputy Ned O’Keeffe attended the Forum of the European Investment Bank in Dublin on 23rd and 24th October, 2003; •The vice-Chairman, Deputy Michael Finneran, and Deputies Paul McGrath, Liam Twomey, M.J. Nolan and Conor Lenihan attended a conference of the public works committees of the parliaments of the EU member states, the accession states and the candidate states, in Rome on 13th and 14th November, 2003; •The vice-Chairman, Deputy Michael Finneran, and Senator Joe O’Toole attended the UN World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva from 10th to 12th December, 2003. 9. Functions and PowersThe Joint Committee is satisfied with its present procedures and role. ____________________ Mr. Seán Fleming, T.D., Chairman, Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service. January, 2004. |
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