Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The committee will now consider the public service performance report with officials from the Department of Social Protection, who are welcome.

In 2016, the OECD Review of budget oversight by parliament: Ireland highlighted the requirement to provide enhanced performance information to support the Oireachtas in assessing the outputs and outcomes from public expenditure. A challenge identified by the OECD in supporting the realisation of the goal relates to the timing of publication of the Revised Estimates Volume, REV. Owing to the fact the Revised Estimates are published prior to the end of the year, outturn information is not available for the current year and only targets can be published. Oireachtas committees do not therefore have relevant outturn information related to performance available to them in a timely fashion to enable them to scrutinise performance in the preceding year. The purpose of the performance report is to address this shortfall, as it provides timely information on what was delivered with public funds in the preceding year. Performance-based budgeting aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public expenditure by linking the funding of public sector organisations to the results they deliver by making extensive use of performance information. The key output of this project is a framework to tag and track all areas of public expenditure across dimensions of equality, well-being, the sustainable development goals and green budgeting. In his remarks within the public service performance report, PSPR, the Secretary General notes the Department has ambitious plans to reform the pensions and working-age programme. This is something the committee endorses and we look forward to the forthcoming proposals on these matters.

I welcome the representatives from the Department of Social Protection, who are Mr. Niall Egan, assistant secretary general, corporate affairs, Mr. Alan Flynn, principal officer with responsibility for Estimates and EU funding compliance, and Mr. Dermot Corcoran, principal officer, business intelligence.

Before we start, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards references witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. The evidence of witnesses physically present or who give evidence from within the parliamentary precincts is protected pursuant to both the Constitution and statute by absolute privilege. Witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not criticise nor make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in respect of an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative they comply with any such direction.

I call on Mr. Egan to make his opening statement.