Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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44. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will report on performance budgeting and performance management in the public service; his plans for key elements of development and reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19719/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The performance budgeting initiative provides a single, coherent organising principle for public service information funded by the Exchequer. Over the last number of years, the initiative has been subject to ongoing review and improvement. One of the most significant developments in this area has been the reformatting of the Revised Estimates Volume to include performance information. This new design ensures that the information needed by decision-makers and those who scrutinise public policy is available 'at a glance'. This includes details of financial and human resources, outputs and public service activities, and context and impact indicators. This allows for examination of how public money is being spent, the services that are being provided and the impact that those services are having on our society.

The development of the performance budgeting initiative is an ongoing process, to enhance the information provided and build on international best practice and guidance. Following the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume for 2016, a detailed review of the performance information provided was carried out by my Department. Alongside this, a detailed guidance note on enhancing the quality of performance information has been developed and circulated to Departments. In line with this guidance note and based on the results of the review, detailed feedback has been provided to each of the main Government Departments, in order to assist officials in selecting and reporting on appropriate performance indicators. This feedback has been positively received and it is anticipated that, with ongoing engagement on the matter, there will be a significant improvement in the quality of performance information included in future publications.

In order to facilitate the Oireachtas in their ex-post scrutiny of budgetary measures and consistent with the recommendations of the November 2015 OECD Report Review of budget oversight by parliament: Ireland, I have proposed to submit a performance report to the Oireachtas by the end of Quarter 1 each year, starting in 2017. This report will provide information on the performance of each Vote and the linkages between results and allocated resources. It is intended that this will allow for meaningful and systematic engagement between the Oireachtas and Government Departments on resource allocation decisions and the impacts of public policies.