John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way in which his Department measures the output relative to all funding allocations by his Department to local authorities; if value for money is an aspect of this analysis; if better local government has brought about greater efficiency in the delivery of services to the public; the way in which this is measured; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21396/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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From 2004, the capital envelope agreement between my Department and the Department of Finance sets out aggregate capital provisions for my Department's programmes over rolling five year periods, with the most recent envelope covering the period 2005 to 2009 valued at some €9 billion. Having regard to general Government policies and the aim of national policy on procurement — to achieve value for money having regard to probity and accountability — my Department provides and oversees the policy framework for its various capital programmes but the delivery of individual projects, from inception to completion, is a matter for the implementing bodies concerned.

The capital projects funded by my Department from the capital envelope are mainly initiated by local authorities and are generally funded by means of grant for full costs or part grant funded with the remaining costs met from the sponsoring bodies' own resources. In so far as management of individual projects is concerned, local authorities are expected to comply fully with inter alia the value for money considerations set out in the standard Government procurement guidelines, namely, the Department of Finance guidelines for appraisal of capital expenditure proposals in the public sector, requirements for undertaking public private partnerships as laid down by the Department of Finance where appropriate, public procurement procedures — both national and EU — and tax clearance requirements as laid down by the Revenue Commissioners.

In January 2004, my Department published the results of a review of the operation of service indicators in local authorities. The review was carried out by the customer service group established by the Department and comprised representatives of the Department, local authorities and the Institute of Public Administration. The group's report, Delivering Value for People — Service Indicators in Local Authorities, includes a series of recommendations regarding the broader application of service indicators. Arising from this report, the local government sector will report in July 2005 on its performance across the range of its services. The indicators will allow members of the public to assess the performance of their local authority and to evaluate performance year on year. Details of a range of other measures being pursued by my Department on value for money in local government are set out in the reply to Question No. 147 of 18 May 2005.