Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 May 2013
77. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will indicate the extent to which any alternatives have been examined to meet savings and targets identified by the Troika and agreed by his predecessor in the context of savings or reductions in public expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25006/13]
View answerThe Government is making good progress on achieving all of our targets and priorities, as articulated in the Programme for Government. We are bringing public expenditure back to a sustainable level and driving forward the public service reform agenda to ensure that efficiencies and reformed work practices play a full part in contributing to the overall budgetary consolidation effort.
With regard to the cost cutting measures implemented to date, the Government began its process of medium-term expenditure management with the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) exercise in 2011. This review was carried out by all Departments in order to identify the most appropriate ways of reducing expenditure, in line with commitments under the Joint EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland.
Each Department was required to produce an Expenditure Report (all of which are available on my Department’s website) which represented a line-by-line examination of the spectrum of public services designed to refocus delivery and achieve better value for money. Building on this process, the Expenditure Report 2013, published on 5 December 2012, includes further well-specified expenditure savings measures across every area of Government spending.
It should also be noted that during its time in office, the Government has successfully renegotiated significant elements of the Troika Programme Conditions– for example the Jobs Initiative, the ending of further asset transfers to NAMA, reversal of the Minimum Wage cut, a more progressive use of the proceeds from the sale of state assets, the provision that fiscal measures specified in the programme could be substituted by others of equally good quality and we successfully renegotiated the interest rate charged for the loans, along with important changes on the extension of maturities of our EFSF, EFSM loans.
