Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which costs throughout the public service have been examined with a view to the identification of areas costing the Exchequer more than that in adjoining jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28857/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which comparisons have been made between unit costs in the public sector here with those in adjoining jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28862/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 210: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which comparisons have been made between costs in the public and private sectors; the issues emerging; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28863/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 204, 209 and 210 together.

The final Comprehensive Review of Expenditure reports have been presented to the Economic Management Council and the results of the Review process will then be brought before Government for consideration and decision in the Budget and Estimates process later this year. The objective of the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure process is to provide the Government with a comprehensive set of decision options and assessment of the cost effectiveness of all expenditure programmes, including by reference to the considerations referred to by the Deputy.

The Government is also committed to ongoing Value for Money assessments of all areas of expenditure to ensure inter alia that administration and other costs across the public sector are kept to a minimum. The Value for Money assessments routinely involve analysis of unit costs in the different sectoral areas, which can include benchmarking with private sector and international comparators. The results of the VfM assessments are published as a matter of course. The ongoing Public Service reform programme, which includes a focus on the use of shared services, e-Government and alternative means of delivering public services, will also be instrumental in achieving efficiencies.