Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The pilot project is still ongoing and an appraisal of it should be forthcoming. I will get the details for the Deputy. I read a fair amount of the supplementary information provided and it appeared the pilot project was underway. Given the multi-annual funding and the envelope system which has been applied to capital projects, and which in some respects was applied in last year's budget to current disability issues, there are opportunities to do more in this regard. I take the point the Deputy made regarding the whole question of capital and ensuring it flows on from the capital project completion date in the interests of good service delivery. Guidelines have been outlined to Departments to ensure the revenue implications are examined and factored in before embarking on major capital projects. This makes for a good system of accountability and efficiency. I am aware of the number of ideas the Deputy put forward, which I will examine to see if we can incorporate some measures that might subsequently form the basis of discussion in this House.

The Deputy said a project under the chairmanship of the Department of Finance and involving the Departments of the Taoiseach, Transport, Agriculture and Food and Social and Family Affairs is developing a pilot project to link departmental business planning, resource allocation and output reporting. The report on that project and the pilot models are being finalised in light of the views last September of the financial management sub-group of secretaries general, and will be submitted to me shortly.

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