The seminar titled 'Ireland's Public Spending' was presented by Dr. Nat O'Connor, Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Social Policy at UCD. It took place on Wednesday 4 September 2024 at 15.30.
Please find the presentation and video from the seminar.
Details of Seminar:
Dr. Nat O'Connor made his presentation. Subsequently, a discussion will be open to the floor where the chairperson, Mr. Chris Smart, NERI presented questions to Dr. O'Connor.
Abstract:
Published earlier this year, Ireland’s Public Spending Explained 2024 is a 73-page report that simplifies all €114 billion public spending into 105 spending programmes, while providing enough detail that greater insight and analysis can be made than when examining departmental budget totals or other over-simplified approaches. The top 30 spending programmes account for over 81% of all public spending, which is a sobering reminder that some of areas of spending—like the state pension, acute hospital services or paying interest on the national debt—take up a large part of the state’s financial capacity. On the other hand, the 31 smaller spending programmes combined cost less than 1% of all public spending and still deliver a wide range of activities, including the work of whole departments and important agencies. This seminar will present the findings of the report and go further into the kind of analysis that a focus on spending programmes makes possible.
Biography of presenter:
Nat O’Connor is Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Social Policy at UCD. He is also Policy Adviser to Age Action, and previously worked in the Homeless Agency, TASC, Ulster University, Maynooth University and the Labour Party. Nat has an MA from Dundee University and a PhD from Trinity College Dublin. He is chairperson of the Irish Social Policy Association (www.ispa.ie) and a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC).