Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 164: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the last time the State's enterprise bodies underwent a review of their operations and spending by her Department. [30835/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department engages with the State enterprise bodies on both operational and policy matters on an ongoing basis, and their expenditure and operations are monitored closely throughout the year. There are strict uniform financial procedures in place to ensure proper governance with regard to the funds that are being drawn down. The annual Estimate process also, involves my Department examining agency expenditure in detail.

In addition, there is a formal liaison structure in place between my Department and the Agencies. As part of that structure, senior officials from my Department meet regularly with senior officials from the Agencies to discuss not just budgetary issues but all matters pertaining to their operation. The ongoing nature of this contact ensures close scrutiny of agency expenditure and activities and provides my officials with an overview on the progress of all the various work programmes.

Specific reviews targeted at the particular modus operandi of individual agencies and taking account of their different roles have been undertaken periodically. An expenditure review of Forfás, conducted by my Department in 2002, made a number of recommendations in order to formalise the agency's interactions with my Department, tighten its focus and increase efficiency and transparency. All recommendations arising from this review have been implemented.

In the case of the IDA, an expenditure Review of their Property Programme was carried out by my Department in 2004. This review concluded that the property programme was being managed efficiently and effectively by the Agency and approved of the Agency's policy of disposing of property no longer needed while, at the same time, recognizing the Agency's need to have a set of property solutions available for marketing at any one time.

Enterprise Ireland is engaged in a review process through a series of ongoing reviews of budgetary, programme and corporate procedures. This includes, inter alia, assessment of progress against EI targets associated with agreed agency Strategy and review of specific EI funding schemes/programmes. More specifically, an expenditure review, led by my Department, was completed on Enterprise Ireland's Overseas Office Network in 2004, which made a number of recommendations that have since been adopted.

A Value for Money review of Science Foundation Ireland programmes was recently completed on behalf of my Department, as part of the Government's Value for Money and Policy Review Initiative. The report, which was published in July of this year, examined the Foundation's funding programmes over the first years of operation. My Department and I are firmly of the opinion that the review will assist in securing value for money and maximising the economic impact from SFI investments.

Performance reviews are, and will continue to be, an integral component, for my Department, in monitoring the activities of the Agencies. A suite of indicators comprising input, output and impact indicators, for the Management Information Framework of my Department is in place and the availability of this information enables managers to measure efficiencies within their own areas. I am satisfied that there exists a vigorous system — both formal and informal — for the ongoing monitoring and review of all aspects of operations and expenditure of the Enterprise Agencies.