Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will expand further on his statement of 26 November 2008 in relation to the way he will improve standards in the value for money assessment process; if he will approve an independent cost benefit analysis of Dublin Airport's proposed parallel runway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44519/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government recently agreed to undertake a new round of Value for Money and Policy Reviews covering the three year period 2009-2011. Building on our experience from the 2006-2008 round of reviews and also taking account of the OECD's recommendations, we are making a number of improvements to the process. The major changes are as follows:

In the 2009-2011 round of reviews there will be a particular focus on four big spending sectors — Health, Education, Social Welfare and Justice, which between them account for almost 75% of total gross expenditure in 2008. Each of these four areas will conduct one review per year in the new round, while all other line Departments, plus the Office of Public Works and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners will conduct two each over the three year period.

Topics for review will be linked to the high-level objectives in the Annual Output Statement of the Department concerned and will be targeted at significant areas of expenditure where there is greatest potential to add value and influence policy developments. Review topics will be selected annually to give Government more flexibility to target reviews each year at areas where it is believed they can add most value.

The independence of the reviews will be enhanced by having reviews carried out by specialist staff in Departments rather than line Divisions; by having the Evaluation Unit in my Department directly involved in carrying out reviews in conjunction with the Departments themselves in each of the four big spending sectors; by having the Steering Committee for each review headed by an independent Chairperson selected from a panel of recently retired senior Officials and also by having my Department represented on each Steering Committee

I have also asked the Value for Money and Policy Review Central Steering Committee to report to me annually on the impact of reviews carried out in the previous year and on the implications of those reviews for the Estimates process.

Finally, completed reviews are to continue to be made available to the relevant Select Oireachtas Committee and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Regarding the part of the Deputy's question relating to approval of an independent cost benefit analysis of Dublin Airport's proposed parallel runway, the Dublin Airport Authority falls within the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Transport and I suggest that the Deputy raise the matter directly with him.