Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of public servants who will be given the task of carrying out project spot checks on National Development Plan projects during its lifetime; if his Department has set out the criteria needed to carry out such checks; the qualifications and expertise which these persons will be required to possess to carry out such checks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2460/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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As indicated in the National Development Plan 2007-2013, Departments and Agencies will carry out spot checks to ensure compliance with the Value for Money requirements in the capital sanctions from my Department under the multi-annual capital envelopes framework. These checks will focus in particular on compliance with my Department's Capital Appraisal Guidelines.

Departments and Agencies are primarily responsible for the management of their own resources, including training and development of their staff. It is their responsibility, therefore, to ensure that they have sufficient capacity and adequately trained staff to discharge the function of spot-checks.

I have also recently established the Central Expenditure Evaluation Unit (CEEU) in my Department, one of whose functions is to carry out periodic reviews of spot-check reports received in my Department from Departments and Agencies. This Unit may also carry out some spot checks on its own initiative and more generally offer guidance and advice in the matter to Departments and Agencies. At present six civil servants (including support staff) are assigned to the Unit. Two more expenditure evaluators are expected to join the Unit in the near future following a recent open recruitment process. In addition, my Department currently has four participants in the Masters Programme in Policy Analysis run by the IPA. Upon completion of the programme, they will be assigned as expenditure evaluators to the CEEU, two in mid 2007 and two in mid 2008. All staff of the CEEU directly engaged in evaluations and spot checks have appropriate third-level qualifications, relevant work experience, and a good understanding of cost-benefit analysis and other project appraisal techniques.

To assist Departments and Implementing Agencies in carrying out spot checks for compliance with the value for money requirements my Department issued draft guidelines in the matter to them for comment. These guidelines are now being finalised in the light of the views and comments received and they will be issued shortly. The principles outlined in the draft guidelines, as circulated, represent best practice and Departments would be expected to have regard to them in carrying out spot checks pending finalisation of the guidelines.