Written answers

Tuesday, 17 May 2005

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Departmental Programmes

9:00 pm

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 207: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the programmes, schemes and services administered by his Department and which were reviewed in 2003 and 2004 or are under review in 2005; the number of these reviews which have been completed; the number of these reviews that are not completed and when he expects these reviews to be complete; the persons who are carrying out each review; the cost of each completed review and the amount of time each review took to complete; the expected cost of each uncompleted review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15972/05]

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The expenditure review initiative is well established in my Department. In the period since 2003 reviews of four expenditure areas were carried out under the expenditure review programme and reviews of a further eight areas are ongoing. Details of the reviews carried out or under way from 2003 to 2005 are detailed in the appendix.

The objective of the expenditure review initiative in the Civil Service is to provide a systematic analysis of what is being achieved by expenditure on each programme and to provide a basis on which more informed decisions can be made on priorities within and between expenditure programmes.

Expenditure reviews are normally carried out in-house by working groups as part of the work of the Department. The working groups comprise staff from the relevant areas of the Department with representatives from the Department of Finance and other Departments or agencies, as appropriate. On occasions it is necessary to engage outside consultancy to assist in a specific aspect of a review. Also, reviews are now formally reviewed by an external expert under a consultancy contract.

Other approaches to expenditure reviews would involve working with other agencies as in the case with the review of child income support which is being carried out by the NESC; with the pensions board in the case of the current review of pensions policy; or with an interdepartmental committee as is the position with the review of long-term care arrangements. A review may build on earlier analyses or reports for the Department, as in the case with long-term care and pensions. The costs incurred by the Department where external assistance was required are also outlined in the appendix.

The amount of time it takes to complete a review varies and depends on the size and complexity of the programme areas, interaction with other Departments and agencies and the resources that can be provided to support the review. Where the programme is complex, it may be completed over a number of phases, as is the case with the review of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme and the review of pensions.

The recommendations from the review process feed into the policy making and change management processes within the Department. The review process generally is overseen by the expenditure review steering committee, which is chaired by the Department of Finance.

Appendix 1
Expenditure Review Activity 2003-2005
Year Review Due Date Status/Consultancy Cost-Euro (incl. VAT)
2003 Payments to Orphans Completed Nil
Illness and Disability Payment Schemes Completed Nil
2004 Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Completed Nil
Supplementary Welfare Allowance Completed Nil
2005 Back to Education Qtr. 2 28,410
Unemployment Benefit/Assistance for Atypical Workers Qtr. 4 38,292
Old Age Contributory Pension/Retirement pension — Phase 2 Qtr. 4 6,095
Supplementary Welfare Allowance — Phase 2 Qtr. 4 Nil
One-Parent Family payments Qtr. 3 Nil
Carers Allowance/Benefit Qtr. 3 Nil
Long-Term Care arrangements Qtr. 3 Nil

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