Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Transport the oversight mechanisms in place in his Department to ensure value for money in respect of the Exchequer funding of more than €2.5 billion in 2010 to agencies and bodies under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26761/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the annual estimates process my Department critically examines the value for money aspect of all expenditure programmes. These programmes are subject to both internal and external audits. Given the scale of investment in Transport 21, monitoring arrangements supporting the framework are in place to ensure that the projects and programmes identified are proceeding as planned and are properly appraised and provide value for money. Structures are in place in my Department to provide these assurances.

Every project in Transport 21 is required to be evaluated in accordance with the Department of Finance capital Appraisal Guidelines and Value for Money criteria, and my Department's Common appraisal Framework. Most of the projects must also go through statutory approval processes, which usually means a public hearing before an independent inspector where the case for the project, including the overall business case, is set out. Only when statutory approval is given can the implementing agency award the relevant construction contracts.

A High Level Monitoring Group has been set up comprising representatives of the relevant Government departments and assisted by the Chief Executives of the State agencies with responsibility for implementing the projects in Transport 21. The main role of this Group is to monitor the implementation of projects and programmes provided for in Transport 21 and to review compliance with the Department of Finance's Guidelines. My Department has appointed independent auditors to carry out reviews of a representative selection of projects. These reviews look at capital appraisal and physical implementation of projects. As part of ensuring value for money five Value For Money Reviews have been carried out by my Department since 2007.