Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 50: To ask the Minister for Defence if the review of the Reserve Defence Force as part of the 2009 to 2011 phase of the Government's value for money and policy review initiative has commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42181/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's Value for Money and Policy Review Initiative is overseen by the Value for Money and Policy Review Central Steering Committee. Government Department's are required to submit review topics for inclusion in a rolling programme of Value for Money Reviews. The Department of Defence reviews approved by Government for inclusion in the 2009 – 2011 round of Value for Money and Policy Reviews are: A Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force. A Value for Money Review of the Training of General Service Recruits.

Value for Money Reviews are conducted in line with guidelines issued by the Department of Finance. Generic terms of reference for such reviews are outlined in these guidelines. Value for Money Reviews within the Department of Defence are overseen by a Steering Committee and for the 2009 – 2011 round of Reviews, the Government has decided that an independent chairman will be appointed for each Steering Committee. A Chairman will be drawn from a panel, which has been established for this purpose. The Steering Committee will also comprise of senior managers from the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces and will include representation from the Department of Finance.

The Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force is the first review to be undertaken in the 2009 – 2011 round. Preliminary data gathering has commenced on this Review and a Steering Committee will be established in the coming weeks to oversee and manage the Review. It is anticipated that this review, together with the lessons learned from the Reserve Defence Force Review Implementation Plan, will assist in informing decisions regarding the future development of the Reserve Defence Force.