Written Answers. - Departmental Agencies.
Arthur Morgan
Ceist:
188
Mr. Morgan
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
the checks her Department undertakes to ensure that funding provided by agencies under the control of her Department is spent efficiently; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[25756/03]
My Department monitors the draw down of public funds for each agency on an ongoing basis, and has strict financial procedures in place to ensure that such funds are properly drawn down.
Actual expenditure by the agencies is subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General, and observations on the efficiency and effectiveness of their spending is open to commentary by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The chief executive officer of each body becomes responsible for the funds upon their receipt by the agency. At that time, the chief executive officer becomes the accounting officer for those funds, and is answerable to the Oireachtas for such expenditure, through the Committee of Public Accounts. Furthermore, some of the agencies are subject to further audits by other bodies at national and EU level in respect of EU funding.
With regard to most of the agencies under the aegis of my Department, I have appointed senior officials of the Department, usually at assistant secretary level, to sit on the board of the agencies, which gives me additional succour as to the agencies' activities. In 2001, the Department of Finance introduced a new code of conduct for the governance of State boards to increase the transparency and accountability of publicly funded bodies. Included in this code is a requirement for the board to appoint an internal audit committee. The chairman of the board is required to report on compliance with the code of conduct when submitting the agency's annual report to me.
In recent years, in addition to the strict financial procedures referred to above, my Department has conducted expenditure reviews in a number of key spending areas. This also allows me to satisfy myself that spending programmes show real efficiencies, and are effective and represent value for money. Recent reviews include a review of Forfás and several major reviews of FÁS training programmes, for example, apprenticeships and traineeships, community employment, etc. As part of the Expenditure Review Initiative, reviews of IDA Ireland property portfolio and of the Enterprise Ireland overseas office network are currently being undertaken within my Department, and a review of science and technology spending and of supports for the long-term unemployed are planned. In addition, other agency programmes are reviewed on an ongoing basis outside of this central initiative by my Department in collaboration with the agencies.
My Department also has a number of agency liaison sections, which,inter alia, monitor the day-to-day activities of the agencies, and are in a position to informally determine the efficiency of the agencies' activities.
Performance indicators for a management information framework are currently being developed within my Department. The availability of this information will enable managers to measure efficiencies within their own areas. The Department is also currently assessing the most effective methodologies by which the agencies may be brought within the scope of my Department's MIF.
