Vol. 485 No. 2
181 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if his Department has received money under the Community Support Framework; the underspendings of allocated funds, if any, there have been under the community support framework in the areas for which his Department is responsible; if a report giving details of the reasons for underspending has been prepared for the monitoring committee; and, if so, if he will publish this report. [22641/97]
The only programme under the Community Support Framework for which my Department has direct responsibility is the technical assistance OP. Total funding under this programme is 12.632 mecu of which 75 per cent will come from the European Regional Development Fund.
The purpose of the programme is to support the monitoring, assessment and evaluation of the CSF, information and publicity in relation to the CSF and the EU activities of regional authorities. There have been underspends on all of the measures to date due to a combination of factors, including the late approval of the programme (July 1996) resulting in, among other things, the delayed establishment of the Structural Funds information office and the CSF evaluation unit. Reprogramming between measures will be necessary to take this into account and anticipated expenditure from 1998 onwards to provide for the engagement of consultants in the preparation of a plan for the next round of Structural Funds and to address new requirements in relation to financial control and monitoring of the CSF.
The provision for monitoring progress on expenditure in the mid-term review will apply to the technical assistance OP. A report will be prepared for the technical assistance OP monitoring committee in line with this requirement. The mid-term review envisages that such reports would be produced for the OP and CSF monitoring committees to assist them to carry out their functions. Accordingly, it was not envisaged that such reports would be published. The question of the making available of any such reports would be a matter for the relevant monitoring committee to decide.
182 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the measures, if any, which are being taken to increase cost recovery or provide for more competition in the delivery of services in accordance with a decision taken in the context of the mid-term review of Structural Funds in relation to funds received by his Department, or bodies under the aegis of his Department, from the European Structural Funds; and, if so, the specific new measures, if any, which are being undertaken for this purpose. [22655/97]
The CSF technical assistance OP for which my Department is responsible is intended to support the monitoring, assessment and evaluation of the CSF, information and publicity in relation to the CSF and the EU activities of regional authorities. The provisions in the mid-term review referred to by the Deputy are intended to cover mainstream services and activities such as the provision of training, marketing, certain infrastructure etc., and are not relevant to the technical assistance OP. Private consultants are nonetheless engaged through open competition, as required, to carry out evaluations which are beyond the scope and resources of the CSF Evaluation Unit.
183 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the steps, if any, he will take to improve the quality of cost benefit analyses in relation to funds received by his Department or by bodies under the aegis of his Department under the Community Support Framework in view of the criticisms of the quality of some cost benefit analysis arising during the mid-term review of the Structural Funds. [22671/97]
The Technical Assistance OP is the only programme under the Community Support Framework for which my Department has direct responsibility. Expenditure on capital projects would not arise under this OP.
More generally, the CSF Evaluation Unit has been examining the question of cost benefit analysis in light of the mid-term evaluator's criticisms and they will be issuing guidelines in the matter for the benefit of Departments and implementing agencies.
