Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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194. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which reform remains a feature of public expenditure, with a view to maximising benefit for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10665/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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197. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which he continues to examine all Departments and their respective agencies, with a view to speeding up and creating greater efficiency in terms of public expenditure and value for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10668/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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199. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which he continues to liaise with all Departments and their subsidiaries and agents, with a view to achieving the maximum in terms of efficiency and delivery in line with best international practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10670/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 194, 197 and 199 together.

With an overall goal of ensuring value for money for the taxpayer, budgetary and expenditure reforms remain a key feature of public expenditure management throughout all Departments. This important goal has been fully embedded across the system of Government and is progressed in a number of ways including the day-to-day management of resources, regular engagement across Departments on cross cutting issues and through the public service reform programme.

Managing the delivery of public services within budgetary allocations is a key responsibility of each Minister and their Department and important measures are in place to help ensure that these budgetary targets continue to be met. My Department is in regular communication with all Departments and Offices to ensure that expenditure is being managed within the overall fiscal parameters. The drawdown of funds from the Exchequer is monitored against the published expenditure profiles. There is regular reporting to Government on these matters and information in relation to voted expenditure is published monthly with the Exchequer Returns.

Budgetary reform remains a key feature of public expenditure management, and is progressed through a range of initiatives including, but not limited to:

- National Development Plan;

- Performance Budgeting;

- Equality Budgeting;

- Green Budgeting

- Well-being budgeting; and

- The Spending Review Process.

These reforms and processes broaden the approach to how public expenditure is appraised, implemented and reviewed. They govern not only how and where the money is spent but also the impact of public expenditure across different cohorts of society and the different categories of expenditure. They work in tandem with broader initiatives, such as the establishment of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES), to develop capacity and enhance the role of economics and value for money analysis in public policy making.

Additionally, my Department engages regularly in international fora, including the OECD working parties and committees, to discuss and share insights. These discussions focus on spending reviews, budgetary reform and other areas that strengthen public sector institutions’ ability to promote systemic change as way to respond to economic, social and environmental challenges.

In respect of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of policy delivery, improving and supporting the evaluation capacity within Government Departments has formed an important part of the reform programme. Supported by the establishment of IGEES, this has led to the development of a number of additional processes and reports to support the budgetary framework.

For example the spending review process, managed by my Department, seeks to assess the effectiveness of public expenditure in meeting policy objectives and fostering engagement. Additionally it aims to enhance learning and deliberation between Departments in relation to the formulation and implementation of public policy based on policy insights. To date 14 of 18 Government Departments, alongside a number of agencies, have engaged with the spending review process; which has seen more than 160 papers published since introduction in 2017.

While each reform listed above may be considered in isolation, it is important to recognise that each represents one part of the overall reform process. Together, these expenditure reforms aim to provide a more comprehensive and thorough insight into how public services are supporting society.

It is with this more complete understanding that policymakers can work towards the achievement of value for money objectives in the context of the entire budgetary process, ensure responsiveness to emerging opportunities and trends where appropriate, and enhance the impact of policies and programmes on the lives of people in Ireland.