Economic committee should open to big departments - Burton

Minister for Social Protection and Labour leadership candidate Joan Burton has indicated that higher-spending Government departments should have a greater say on the Coalition's elite economic committee.

Ms Burton has previously criticised the Economic Management Council or EMC – the four-member committee comprising the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform – for excluding other ministers and departments.

Meanwhile, Ms Burton has secured the backing of two further senior Labour figures in Joe Costello, Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs, and Fergus Finlay, a former party adviser.

She has repeatedly criticised the EMC over the past two years as secretive and said it missed the “big picture” on the economy.

The Dublin West TD was asked what she would do to the EMC if she wins the Labour leadership, which will give her a position on the committee as Tánaiste.

Critical to evaluation process

Speaking at a Diageo event to support community employment in the areas of Dublin around the Guinness brewery, Ms Burton said she did not want to be “presumptuous” about the leadership contest but said she had “views about the EMC”.

“I do think that the big-spending departments such as health and education and indeed my own department in social protection, that they’re critical to having an evaluation process that does get the best outcomes for everybody in this country and, to me, that’s what the EMC has to be about,” Ms Burton said.

“How do you make something like the EMC work better for people in terms of managing the country’s finances, which, although we are now in a better place, are still very challenging and about directing money to the places it is most needed.”

Sharp focus

“It’s about a very sharp focus on the country’s finances but it also includes that question of the big departments and what their contribution is and should be to the economic recovery,” Ms Burton said.

Fergus Finlay, chief executive of the charity Barnardos and former senior adviser to Dick Spring during previous Labour terms in government, said he would be supporting Ms Burton for leader and Ciara Conway for deputy leader.

Mr Finlay, who also sought the party’s nomination for the presidency in 2011, said Ms Burton and her opponent Alex White were both good candidates.

However, he said Ms Burton is “steeped in the Labour Party and will do her damndest”.

The pair had discussions in Ms Burton’s ministerial office in Leinster House this week but Mr Finlay said this was mostly focused on the issue of homelessness.

Mr Costello also last night declared his support for Ms Burton’s candidacy.

He said he had yet to make up his mind on the position of deputy leader.