THE MAJORITY of Ministers are prepared to back the early publication of the report produced by the group known as “An Bord Snip Nua” on options for cutting billions off State spending later this year.
Most members of the Cabinet now favour publishing the findings of the group, bar Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, who fears the impact it could have on the Lisbon Treaty referendum debate.
Full copies of the tightly-restricted Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure report were sent by the Department of Finance to Ministers’ offices, though some will not be read until this morning. A number of Ministers strongly believe that early publication is now a necessity, and that the report’s main author, UCD economist Dr Colm McCarthy, should take the leading role in defending its contents.
Speaking ahead of today’s Cabinet meeting, the Taoiseach said: “The country has to bite that bullet. Of course it is going to form part of the public debate. The people need to know what the real choices are.”
Speaking on Newstalk’s Breakfast Show Mr Cowen also cast doubt on expectations that he will reshuffle his senior Ministers after the summer break: “I’ve just appointed this new Government in the last 12 months and I think there is a huge job of work to do. As you know reshuffles are there at the discretion of the leader at any time but I think there is a job of work to be done in the near future.”
Privately, the Government accepts that, either way, the McCarthy report will cause a political firestorm. “Leaks and speculation will fill the vacuum unless it is published, so we may as well get on and do it,” said one Minister.
The circulation of the document has been extremely limited. Some Ministers have not yet even seen the sections dealing with their own departments – though a second round of questions from the group offered clues to its likely recommendations.
Two copies were given to the Green Party yesterday afternoon for its Cabinet team, party leader and Minister for the Environment and Local Government, John Gormley and Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen continued his series of meetings with Ministers and top officials in an exercise to examine their performance matched against commitments made in the programme for government and the political practicability of honouring them given the downturn in the State’s finances.