The Expenditure Review Committee (more commonly known as An Bord Snip) was an advisory committee established by the Irish Government

Irish Government

The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...

 in 1987 to recommend cuts in state spending. The committee was established by the then Taoiseach

Taoiseach

The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...

 (prime minister), Charles Haughey

Charles Haughey

Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...

, and the Minister for Finance

Minister for Finance (Ireland)

The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...

 Ray MacSharry

Ray MacSharry

Raymond MacSharry is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician, who served in a range of cabinet positions, most notably as Tánaiste, Minister for Finance and European Commissioner.-Early life:...

. It was a three-man committee comprising two senior civil servants, Sean Cromien and Bob Curran, and a private sector economist, Colm McCarthy.

An Bord Snip was a colloquial, comic term for the body. It is a mix of Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 and English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 words, literally meaning "the snip board". Many state agencies in the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 have the words an bord (meaning "the board") in their title, for example Bord Iascaigh Mhara

Bord Iascaigh Mhara

Bord Iascaigh Mhara or BIM is the agency of the Irish State with responsibility for developing the Irish marine fishing and aquaculture industries....

 (the Irish Sea-Fisheries Board); "snip" refers to the cost-cutting remit of the group. In 2008 another board with a similar remit was established, referred to as "An Bord Snip Nua

Bord Snip Nua

The Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes was an advisory committee, headed by the right-wing economist Colm McCarthy, established by the Irish government in 2008 to recommend cuts in public spending. It issued its findings, commonly known as the McCarthy report, on 16...

". Nua is the Irish word for "new".

See also

• Public service of the Republic of Ireland
  Public service of the Republic of Ireland
  The public service of Ireland consists of agencies which, while not formally part of a Department of State, provide services on behalf of the government...
  
  
• State-sponsored bodies of Ireland
• Economy of the Republic of Ireland
  Economy of the Republic of Ireland
  The economy of Ireland has transformed in recent years from an agricultural focus to a modern knowledge economy, focusing on services and high-tech industries and dependent on trade, industry and investment. In terms of GDP per capita, Ireland is ranked as one of the wealthiest countries in the...