Written answers

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Programme for Government

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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364. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the progress that has been made within his Department on the establishment of a dedicated prevention and early intervention unit; the detail of the work programme planned for that unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31579/16]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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 The Programme for Partnership Government provides for the establishment of a Prevention and Early Intervention Unit focused on children and older people within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. A consultation process in relation to the unit underway and an initial work programme for it has been identified.

My objective is to establish a Unit which provides added value for prevention and early intervention (PEI) and avoids duplication where strategies and structures are already in place for the development, provision, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of PEI services.

The consultation undertaken with stakeholders in the early years area has been very informative in shaping the proposed approach to the work of the PEI Unit. This process of consultation is continuing, with the focus extended to prevention and early intervention issues in the context of older people.

The PEI Unit's initial work programme will establish the parameters for the PEI services within the scope of the Unit. This will also involve identifying the resources and evaluation processes associated with these services. This will be undertaken on a cross-departmental basis, within the current programme budgeting framework and the public spending code. Inter-departmental/agency consultation will be required, and, in this context, the work of the Unit will complement and draw on existing processes, in particular, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs' whole of government 'Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People' and similarly the Department of Health's cross departmental 'National Positive Ageing Strategy'.

This approach, I believe, will have a positive impact on the evaluation process in the PEI area, together with availability of information and levels of accountability.

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