Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the status of the working group set up to develop a pilot model linking strategy statements and business plans to resource allocation, output/outcome indicators and performance management; when did this group complete its report; if it was published; the key conclusions of the report; if a plan was developed to action its conclusions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31936/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Report of the Pilot Project on Resource Allocation, Business Planning and Performance Measurement was presented to me in August 2005, the same month that the inter-departmental working group completed its work. The conclusions and recommendations of this report informed Government thinking on reform of the Estimates and Budget process, in particular in relation to the presentation of Annual Output Statements by each Minister, as I announced in Budget 2006.

The Annual Output Statements were presented for the first time earlier this year to assist the Dáil Select Committees with their consideration of the 2007 Estimates. The original template for these Annual Output Statements was developed by the inter-departmental working group referred to by the Deputy and set out in its Report. The Annual Output Statements for 2007 set out performance output targets by programme area linked to the high level goals in Departments' Strategy Statements and, for 2008 onwards, will set out actual performance against the previous year's output targets, as well as setting out new targets for the year ahead.

While the Report of the Pilot Project was not formally published, copies were widely circulated at the time to Ministers and their Departments, to Opposition Finance spokespersons and to Committee chairpersons to assist them in understanding a major element in the thinking behind the Government's Budgetary reforms.