Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 June 2013
115. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will set out the value for money reports and the focused policy assessments carried out within her Department since March 2011; the actions that have been taken to implement such reports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28180/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing a Government decision to defer the selection of reviews pending the outcome of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) there were no Value for Money (VFM) reviews carried out in 2011. Each Government Department, including the Department of Social Protection, instead prepared a Comprehensive Expenditure Report in respect of the Department and its associated agencies, to identify expenditure programme savings, scope for savings arising from efficiency and other reforms, proposals for reducing and/or merging of agencies and associated reductions in staff numbers. This review continues to inform the evaluation of every budgetary programme.
During 2012, a Review of the Employment Support Schemes was undertaken within the Department. The review examines the policies and programmes in place within the Department of Social Protection to address the particular difficulties that the labour market is currently experiencing and assess individual schemes against an agreed set of criteria.
Following publication of the Review in January 2013 I convened a stakeholder’s forum which brought together relevant experts, practitioners, policy makers and representative bodies to consider the review and offer suggestions and input to how future policy in this area should evolve.
In common with all VFM reviews, the recommendations and implementation are monitored by the Department’s Policy Committee.
While the Department is not at present carrying out any formal Value for Money reviews, the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare is reviewing a number of priority areas. The group, which I established during 2011 in line with Programme for Government commitments, is focussing on the production of modular reports on the priority areas identified in the Group’s terms of reference. To date the Group has completed three modules of work: child and family income supports; proposals relating to disability allowance and domiciliary care allowance; extending Social Insurance coverage for the self-employed. The Group is currently progressing its final module of work on the issue of working age income supports and the interaction of the tax and social welfare systems. It is anticipated that this module will be completed by the end of 2013.
All schemes within my Department remain under constant review particularly in the budgetary context. A wide range of other policy reports have been undertaken by the Department since 2011, such as the recently published OECD review on long term pension policy in Ireland and the report on pension charges pension charges produced by the Department in conjunction with the Central Bank and the Pensions Board. My Department officials also support a number of Focussed Policy Assessments currently being carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
All published policy reports are available on the Department’s website.
