Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Finance if the promised peer review system for large ICT projects is in place; the way in which it will operate; the threshold figure above which the peer review system will operate; if the Centre for Management Organisation Development within his Department will play a role in the peer review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7864/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Centre for Management and Organisation Development, CMOD, in my Department developed procedures for the peer review process and agreed these in meetings with other Departments and offices late last year. A number of projects were identified for early inclusion in the initiative and the review of two of these is now under way and initial work has commenced in two more.

The peer review is carried out at key decision points — preliminary business case assessment, detailed assessment, pre-tender, post-tender, and project close-out — by a team of experienced people external to the project board and the organisation. The process will particularly focus on examining the preparation of good business cases; cost benefit analysis; affordability within the approved budget for the organisation; detailed planning; and the governance arrangements, etc. Peer review teams will be selected by the sponsoring Department or office of each project subjected to the process. These selections are subject to agreement with CMOD. It is envisaged that such review teams will include people with relevant experience from both the public and private sector.

However, while I believe that the peer review process is a very worthwhile initiative and is an additional safeguard in the development and implementation of IT projects, it does not in any way override the accountability arrangement in place within organisations.

It is envisaged that reviews will be carried out for all projects where the development and roll out costs exceed €5 million or where the project would be likely to stretch the resources of the sponsoring Department or agency.

As well as developing and agreeing the process with other Departments and offices, CMOD will co-ordinate, administer and control the peer review process across the whole public service which will include providing a panel of peer reviewers to sponsoring organisations; selecting the number and type of projects to be peer reviewed; agreeing the composition of peer review teams; considering the peer review team's findings and the sponsoring organisation's consideration of these findings for each stage of the peer review process before making and issuing any final decision to proceed or halt; and developing a website in the future where review findings will be placed in the public domain.