Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the projects which have been subjected to detailed cost-benefit appraisal in the past six months; the benefit-cost ratio which emerged from this test; if he is satisfied that projects being selected not only pass this test but represent a better return than competing uses for the same limited funds; and the way in which this process influences the size of the capital envelope for different project areas. [37352/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has a small capital allocation, which is governed by administrative budget rules rather than subject to the capital envelope process as outlined by the Deputy. The capital allocation for 2005 was €11.04 million, of which €5.8 million was allocated to ICT equipment, €5.2 million to Reach and €40,000 to the civil registration modernisation programme, GRO.

The Department has a number of mechanisms in place to ensure that internal projects are evaluated and prioritized, and these are overseen by a projects governance committee, comprising departmental senior management, which meets on a monthly basis. All proposed projects are evaluated in the context of other projects, having regard to scope, duration, expected business outcomes, expected costs and benefits, as well as the resources available.