Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 30 Mar 2000

Vol. 517 No. 2

Written Answers. - European Social Fund.

Richard Bruton

Question:

53 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement on reports that the independent evaluation unit for European Social Funds is to be disbanded and replaced by a unit in his Department; and if he will suspend further action to implement this decision until its far reaching impacts have been properly assessed. [8767/00]

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

58 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Finance if work previously done by the ESF evaluation unit in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will in future be done in his Department; the reasons for this decision; the implications of this for the evaluation of public spending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9341/00]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 58 together.

Under the 1994-99 programming period ongoing evaluation of the nine operational programmes was carried out by a combination of a central evaluation unit for the Community Support Framework, CSF, a separate evaluation unit for each of the operational programmes for human resources, industry and agriculture and rural development and external consultants for the remaining operational programmes. The National Development Plan 2000-06 proposed a rationalisation of these arrangements to provide for a central evaluation unit to carry out ongoing evaluation of the plan and the new community support framework. It also allows for commissioning of external consultants where the central evaluation unit might not have sufficient expertise to carry out particular evaluations. Rationalisation of the evaluation arrangements is taking place to reflect the new programming structure and to build on best practice lessons learned from the 1994-99 period.

Ongoing evaluation of European Social Fund co-financed activities, along with other Structural Funds co-financed activities and public expenditure generally under the national plan, will be carried out under the new arrangements. While the central evaluation unit will be under the aegis of my Department, it will be independent in its functions. The work programme for the unit will be determined by a technical assistance monitoring committee which will comprise, among others, representatives of the managing authorities for the plan, CSF and new operational programmes, namely, the Department of Finance, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Environment and Local Government and the regional assemblies and the European Commission (DG Regio and DG Empl) in an observer-advisory capacity.

The setting of terms of reference for evaluations and exercising of quality control in relation to them will be carried out by small steering committees comprising representatives of the managing authorities and implementing bodies and technical experts, as appropriate. The steering committee for evaluations of ESF co-financed activities and employment and human resources policy generally will be chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In recognition of the significance of this element of the plan and CSF, provision will be made in the staffing of the new central evaluation unit for dedicated resources to be assigned to the ESF evaluation function. The staff dedicated to ESF related evaluations will be under the auspices of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and will undertake the evaluations under the general direction and control of the manager of the central evaluation unit.