Vol. 428 No. 2
29 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Finance if, in view of the increased emphasis on public capital spending and the overall desire to ensure that investment spending is genuinely productive, he will give details of the system of public capital project appraisal, if any, the Government has in place; and the proposals, if any, he has with regard to such systems in the future.
Circular 1 of 1983, issued on 8 March 1983, sets out in an appendix a set of useful guidelines on the best practice to be followed in approving and managing public sector expenditure projects. The terms of the circular apply not only to Departments but to all State bodies operating under their aegis.
It is the responsibility of each sanctioning authority (usually a Department) to ensure that specific procedures adopted in its area of control comply with the basic principles set out in the circular.
Following the issue of Circular 1 of 1983, my Department wrote to Departments seeking an assurance that the terms of the Circular were being implemented. That assurance was forthcoming and I am satisfied that these guidelines continue to be observed by Departments generally and by bodies operating under their aegis.
Circular 1 of 1983 is currently being reviewed in my Department.
