Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 127: To ask the Minister for Finance if any Department failed the end of 2005 deadline for the development of performance indicators set out in his Department's recent report on a new system of business planning and performance measurement; and if all Departments have now done so. [33214/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I presume that the Deputy is referring to my Department's Report of the Pilot Project on Resource Allocation, Business Planning and Performance Measurement of August, 2005. The conclusions and recommendations of this report informed Government thinking on reform of the Estimates and Budget process signalled in Budget 2005 and announced in Budget 2006. The report's recommendations, including those in relation to the development of performance indicators, were subsumed by the Government's reforms announced by me in Budget 2006.

Under the Government's reforms, Ministers are required to present an annual output statement in tandem with their Estimates in 2007 to assist the Select Committees with their consideration of the Estimates. The annual output statements for 2007 will set out performance output targets by programme linked to the high level goals in Departments' strategy statements and, for 2008 onwards, will set out actual outturns against the previous year's output targets and new targets for the year under consideration. I understand from all Departments that their preparations for production of the first annual output statement are advancing with a view to meeting the 2007 deadline.