Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 492: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the measures agreed for his Department under the Value for Money Review 2006 to 2008; the projects which had the necessary changes made; when they are planned for completion; if a value for money review is planned after 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25856/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Value for Money Review process is overseen by the Value for Money and Policy Review Central Steering Committee of the Department of Finance. Seven Value for Money Reviews were selected by the Steering Committee for completion in 2006-08 — the Review of Programmes Managed by the Teacher Education Section, the Review of Youthreach and Senior Traveller Training Centres, the Review of Insurance Arrangements in Schools, the Review of the Summer Works Scheme, the Review of Special Needs Assistants, the Review of Expenditure on the Education of Persons who do not have English or Irish as a First Language and the Review of Grants to 1st and 2nd Level Schools. The Review of Programmes Managed by Teacher Education Section and the Review of Youthreach and Senior Traveller Training Centres were published in April 2008. Arrangements for consideration and implementation of the recommendations in each case are in place and progress will be reported on a quarterly basis to the Value for Money and Policy Review Central Steering Committee of the Department of Finance. Work on the remaining reviews is progressing on the basis of a timetable agreed with the Department of Finance for completion of the 2006-08 programme.

A number of other Value for Money Reviews have been published by my Department, including the Review of the ICT Undergraduate Skills Programme, the Review of Programmes managed by Teacher Education, the Review of Youthreach and Senior Traveller Training Centres, the Review of the Supply Teacher Scheme for Primary Schools and the Review of the Small and Rural Schools Initiative and the Permanent Accommodation Initiative. A further two reviews will be published shortly — the Review of Youth Encounter Projects and the Review of ICT Support Services for Schools. The Value for Money Review process is overseen by the Central Steering Committee of the Department of Finance. Accordingly, Arrangements for the next round of reviews, which may cover the period 2009-11, are being considered by the that Committee. The Value for Money and Policy Review Initiative commenced in 1997 (previously called the Expenditure Review Initiative). Its objectives are to analyse Exchequer spending in a systematic manner and to provide a basis on which more informed decisions can be made. It is one of a range of modernisation initiatives aimed at moving public sector management away from the traditional focus on inputs to concentrate more on the achievement of results. Where possible, Value for Money Reviews in my Department are carried out by staff assigned to the IPA Masters in Economic Science in Policy Analysis degree programme.