I propose to take Questions Nos. 302 to 306, inclusive, and 308 to 311, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware a Comprehensive Review of Expenditure exercise was carried out by all Departments in 2011 to identify means of reducing expenditure, in line with our commitments under the Joint EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland, while minimising the impact on service delivery. All proposals, including those from members of the public and third party submissions were fully appraised for this exercise and the outcomes were published in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014 (CER).
The Departmental ceilings required to meet this year's expenditure adjustment are clearly set out in the Revised Estimates Volume 2012 (REV), published 23 February 2012, and are consistent with those published in the CER. Furthermore, I have extended the performance budgeting initiative to the majority of Departments, which strengthens the focus on what the public service delivers and aids the process of policy-making through transparency of goals and objectives. My Department has also recently launched a new, more rigorous Value-for-Money Code which will involve the ongoing process of review and evaluation of programmes across all Departments.
It should be noted that this Government has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to meet its targets under the Joint EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support and is confident that by meeting these targets we will continue to improve competitiveness and grow our economy, while continuing to provide high-quality public services with improved efficiency and performance across all areas of public administration.