Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): The Committee report on the draft Budget 2026-29/2030 was initially considered at our meeting before the Easter recess. In Committee members' packs is a memo from the Committee for the Executive Office that includes a Hansard transcript from 4 February 2026 of the oral briefing from Executive Office officials on the draft Budget and the December monitoring round. The points that were raised in that briefing have been incorporated into the revised draft report. Members will note that the input from the Committee for the Economy and the Committee for Health will be added once it is received. If any of their representatives are watching, I hope that they take the hint.

Do any members wish to suggest any amendments to the draft report? No. In that case, we will return to agreeing a final version of the report at the end.

The Committee Clerk: If we agree the draft report, it will be with the caveat that we do not necessarily publish it until we find out what happens tomorrow.

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): That is fine. I have skipped over my speaking note, which was very clever of me. Agreement will be subject to what happens tomorrow, and, indeed, in the future, but particularly tomorrow. If a Budget is agreed tomorrow, we may have to revisit the draft report.

The Committee Clerk: If that happens, we can agree everything else, and there will be an addendum to the draft report. We can update it on that basis.

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): No worries. We will go through the sections of the draft report, as we normally do.

Are members content that the title page, the contents page and the Committee powers and membership pages stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the introduction, comprising paragraphs 1 to 7, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): The section on the draft Budget 2026-29/2030 is very significant. Are members content that the section on the draft Budget 2026-29/2030, comprising paragraphs 8 to 28, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the section on the Committee for Finance approach, comprising paragraphs 29 to 80, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the section on Statutory Committee and Audit Committee scrutiny, comprising paragraphs 81 to 124, as well as any further input from Committees as we get it, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the section on Committee scrutiny summary, comprising paragraphs 125 to 131, stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that the appendices stand part of the report?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Subject to there being a Budget agreement tomorrow or, indeed, soon in the future — within reason, because if the Budget is not agreed until June, we will not be doing this — we may bring any updates back to the Committee for agreement and update the report. Are members therefore content that the Committee's report on the Minister of Finance's 2026-29/2030 draft Budget be the eleventh report of the Committee for Finance?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content for the report to be laid in the Business Office and published on the Committee web page?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content to forward a copy of the report to the Minister of Finance in advance of any plenary debate, which will have to be scheduled by the Business Committee?

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): We have to have a discussion on whether we should table a Committee motion. The relevance of any debate will be contingent on whether the Executive have agreed a Budget. Previous draft Budgets, including the one from Minister Murphy for 2021-22, were debated. Such debates gave Committee members the opportunity to raise points that came up in Committee. Indeed, some of the points raised in Committee were more detailed than those that might be made in a draft Budget debate itself. My view as Committee Chair is that, as there is a precedent, we should proceed on that basis, but I am open to hearing the views of others.

Ms Forsythe: I agree, Chair, that the Committee should take the opportunity to debate a motion in the House. The Committee has done a lot of work on the draft Budget. The clerking team has done a lot of work in chasing other Committees to get briefings and returns from them, even just to draw attention to the points that continue to be made about the proposals in the draft Budget. Although the process is still live, things may change tomorrow or in the weeks ahead. That can be reflected in any debate, but putting down a marker is the main business of the Committee. I therefore agree with you, Chair, that we should table a motion for debate.

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Are members content that we table a motion? We obviously do not know when the debate will take place, as the motion will have to go to the Business Committee for consideration.

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): Thank you, members.