Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if changes will be put in place to the process for auditing of savings under the Croke Park Agreement in advance of the next implementation body report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51636/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Paragraph 1.16 of the Public Service Agreement provides for an annual review of the savings generated from its implementation and states that "savings will be independently verified by the Implementation Body" for the Agreement.

The Body has carried out two annual reviews to date which have provided a very comprehensive assessment of the sustainable savings and reform that have been facilitated under the Agreement to date.

As part of the annual review process, the Body engaged external financial accountants to undertake an independent verification of the savings reported by public service management in the case of a small sample of projects. In the first review, MKO Partners evaluated 3 projects and a further 4 projects were assessed by Grant Thornton as part of the second annual review earlier this year. In all cases, the savings reported by public service management were found to be reasonable estimates of the savings that have arisen or will arise due to the successful implementation of the projects concerned.

The approach to be taken to the verification of savings in the context of the next annual review will be a matter for the Implementation Body to determine.