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

Before Deputy Ó Cuív comes back in, we have had this out with the Department of Social Protection on a number of occasions. The PSPR is supposed to assist Parliament in its scrutiny of expenditure. However, the rules are being set by the Department of public expenditure and reform on it. We have a very thorough engagement with the Department of Social Protection on this and it has agreed with us regarding some of the indicators that should be included. However, it cannot get the green light from the Department of public expenditure and reform because it wants a uniform performance report across all Departments so it can compare and contrast the Departments but that is not relevant from the committee's perspective. Ultimately, this report is supposed to be generated for us in the context of the committee doing its job. This is not a criticism of the Department here; it is a criticism of the mechanism that is being laid down by the Department of public expenditure and reform. As a committee that has responsibility for the islands, we believe they should be included. It is not about money; it is about measuring what is going on.

One of the points we as a committee are making very strongly - and we would like this to go back within the departmental structure and back to the Department of public expenditure and reform, which we will separately write to after this meeting - is that the islands must be included in our performance report, which is not relevant without that detail being provided on the island side. I am sorry; I have crossed Deputy Ó Cuív.