Fergus O'Dowd
Question:126 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Finance if the strategic management initiative has assisted his Department to evaluate the spending priorities of spending Departments. [14442/02]
Written Answers. - Strategic Management Initiative.
One of the aims of Delivering Better Government was to put in place a process of modern business planning across the Civil Service which is based on better informed resource allocation decisions and enhanced accountability for the results achieved for these resources.
A framework of expenditure reviews was established in 1997 in accordance with one of the key financial and managerial reforms in the strategic management initiative. By establishing the review system as a regular part of their annual cycle of work, Departments are assisted in ensuring the efficient use of resources. The reviews provide a systematic analysis of what is actually being achieved by each programme and assist in informing decision making in relation to the individual programmes.
To date, approximately 40% of Government spending is either the subject of completed reviews or in the process of being reviewed. Building on progress to date, the previous Government agreed in May last to a framework for the next phase of the review process, focusing on more significant areas of spending. I am hopeful that the process will continue to assist both my Department and line Departments in evaluating spending priorities.
These reviews do not, however, represent the totality of review and evaluation work ongoing in the Civil Service. Under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, evaluations will be conducted at the level of each operational programme in addition to a mid-term evaluation of the plan as a whole in 2003. These evaluations will address questions of programme effectiveness and rel evance and will inform a mid term review of NDP priorities.
Value for money studies undertaken by the Comptroller and Auditor General's office also made a valuable contribution to the analysis and review of various programmes, projects and expenditure areas.