Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 13: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will publish the terms of reference for the comprehensive review of expenditure as circulated to department heads; and if he will publish in full the recent memo circulated to department heads by his Secretary General. [20334/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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While no formal terms of reference were issued to Departments, I have made clear from the outset that, apart from garnering savings, the aim of reforming the public service is to deliver better results within limited resources. This is a driving force behind both the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure and the Capital Review. Both of these processes are now underway and will involve root and branch evaluations of the expenditure of all Departments and of bodies within their remit. This is at the heart of the Government project spelled out in our Programme for a National Government 2011-2016.

The objectives of the process will be to provide the Government with a comprehensive set of decision options. These include to meet the overall fiscal consolidation objectives, both as regards spending and numbers reduction targets; to re-align spending with the Programme for Government priorities; and, in this context, to consider new ways of achieving Government through public sector reform. As the Deputy mentions, my Department has been in contact with all Government Departments to re-iterate at official level the position I have already outlined above, namely, that all expenditure must be examined in this process.

As the Deputy has already asked me to do so, I will publish the letters on my Department's website as soon as I can.