Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has satisfied himself with the progress under the expenditure review initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2559/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The first formal report from the expenditure review central steering committee on progress under the expenditure review initiative, ERI, for the period June 2002 to June 2004 was submitted to me on 3 November 2004 and forwarded to the Oireachtas Committee on Finance and the Public Service on 25 November 2004. This report found that progress had been made by Departments and offices in undertaking systematic evaluation both within and outside the ERI, and in building an evaluation culture. However, it also highlighted some deficiencies in the process and made a number of recommendations designed to improve it.

I am committed to ensuring that we get better value for money from public expenditure. I would like to see greater progress being made in improving the arrangements for carrying out expenditure reviews and in completing reviews. I have, therefore, accepted the steering committee's recommendations.

I attach particular importance to the recommendation of the steering committee that expenditure reviews should encompass significant spending programmes, that they should be completed on time, and that their recommendations should be followed up on. The responsibility in regard to implementation of these and the other recommendations rests in the first instance with Departments. I, therefore, wrote to all Ministers last November on receipt of the steering committee's report urging them to ensure that their Departments and offices take appropriate steps to implement the recommendations. My Department will shortly invite Departments and offices to propose topics for the next round of expenditure reviews for the period 2005-07 for submission to Government. I will take that opportunity to review progress in the interim and to ensure that the steering committee's recommendations for improvement are reflected in the next round of reviews.