Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2018
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Parliamentary Budget Office | ||
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5. The Principal Act is amended by inserting the following section after section 14A (inserted by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2009 ): | ||
“14B. (1) There shall be established within the Service an Office to be known, in the Irish language, as An Oifig Buiséid Pharlaiminteach and, in the English language, as the Parliamentary Budget Office (in this section referred to as the ‘Office’). | ||
(2) The Secretary General may assign a member of the staff of the Commission who has the requisite knowledge, skills and qualifications as the Director of the Office (in this section referred to as the ‘Director’) to perform the functions specified in subsection (4). | ||
(3) There shall be assigned to the Office such and so many members of the staff of the Commission as the Secretary General considers appropriate to assist the Director in the performance of the functions specified in subsection (4). | ||
(4) The Director shall, in addition to such other functions as the Secretary General may assign to him or her under section 16(1)(j), perform the following functions: | ||
(a) manage and control generally the administration and business of the Office; | ||
(b) provide to the Houses of the Oireachtas or an Oireachtas Committee fiscal and economic information, analysis and advice that is independent and impartial, relating to— | ||
(i) the particular macro-economic conditions in the State from time to time, | ||
(ii) developments affecting the public finances, | ||
(iii) the management of the public finances, and | ||
(iv) the financial implications of proposals affecting the public finances; | ||
(c) furnish to either House of the Oireachtas or an Oireachtas Committee, upon the request of such House or Committee, a report relating to such matters referred to in paragraph (b) as may be specified in the request, and publish the report not later than the next working day following it being so furnished; | ||
(d) publish, in such form and manner as he or she considers appropriate, briefing papers and other reports from time to time in relation to matters referred to in paragraph (b). | ||
(5) The Director shall provide to the Secretary General such information (including financial information) relating to the performance of his or her functions as the Secretary General may from time to time request. | ||
(6) Subject to the consent of the Secretary General, the Director may authorise a member of the staff of the Commission assigned to the Office to perform his or her functions under this section on his or her behalf and, in the absence of the Director or if that post is vacant, the Secretary General may designate a member of the staff of the Commission to perform those functions. | ||
(7) The Director shall have all such powers as are necessary or expedient for, or incidental to, the performance of his or her functions and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Director may request in writing a Minister of the Government or other body to provide to him or her such information as he or she considers necessary for the performance of the functions specified in any paragraph of subsection (4).”. |