Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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134. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the role his Department takes in the oversight of value for money exercises. [15233/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Securing value for money is an ongoing priority for this Government and is at the heart of all decision making, at every stage of a policy or programme lifecycle. Delivering value for money is about securing the efficient and effective use of public resources in the pursuit of better public services, living standards and infrastructure for the people of Ireland. It is not solely concerned with costs and price levels – it also involves the consideration of quality, specialist expertise, and social and environmental impacts.

Value for Money requirements are underpinned by legislation and supported by a set of rules, guidelines and frameworks. These are the structures which directly inform how all public bodies operate on a daily basis.

Achieving value for money is the responsibility of everyone involved in overseeing the use of public funds. Its delivery is dependent on the clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the various structures across the system.

As part of Budget 2025 a total expenditure ceiling of €105.4 billion was announced. Achieving value for money, therefore, cannot be the job of any single Minister or Department. It must be pro-actively sought after at all levels and at all stages of policy formation including from the design and development stage to the implementation stage and, finally, to the subsequent audit and review stage.

In this regard, one of my Department’s key roles is the development of robust guidance, codes of practice and circulars to support best practice in the pursuit of value for money; for example the Public Spending Code, the Infrastructure Guidelines, and the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

This guidance provided by my Department outlines the clear, established roles and responsibilities in place to mitigate against waste and improve value for money. These rules are in place to support Accounting Officers in discharging their responsibility to ensure effective delivery, value for money and accountability.

In the coming weeks, I will bring a memo to Government with a statement on the delivery of value for money. This statement will clarify the guidance and procedures available to support the efficient and effective use of public resources. Furthermore, this document will reemphasise the roles and responsibilities of the various decision makers across the system in the delivery of value for money.

Finally, I would like to re-emphasise this Governments ongoing focus on the delivery of better public services for our growing population and the responsibility it takes for ensuring continued high levels of trust in our public institutions. There is no doubt that the success of these objectives will depend on our ability to enshrine financial responsibility and accountability at the heart of how we undertake our duties and seek to positively impact on the lives of the people of Ireland.