Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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320. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department monitors or oversees the grant aid and service-level agreements made between the HSE and organisations funded under section 38 and section 39 of the Health Act 2007; and to outline what role, if any, his Department plays in the governance, financial reporting, or performance review of these arrangements, given that such agreements fall outside the scope of standard public procurement frameworks. [32149/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service and Reform and Digitalisation works from the centre of Government to drive the delivery of better public services, living standards and infrastructure for the people of Ireland.

As highlighted in my Department's Statement of Strategy (2023 to 2025), it aims to promote effective corporate governance and accountability frameworks. It also seeks to enhance governance by promoting more open and accountable public bodies that apply resources effectively and sustainably for better outcomes.

As set out in the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011, my role as Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation is to manage public expenditure within the overall financial envelope set by Government.

The management of voted expenditure in individual Departments is the responsibility of the relevant Accounting Officer. However, they are supported in this work through a range of central governance and accountability frameworks developed by my Department, including the following, among others:

• The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies provides a framework for the application of best practice in corporate governance by State bodies;
• The Public Financial Procedures (PfP) set out the main principles of government accounting;
• The Public Spending Code provides guidance on the value for money standards to be applied for public expenditure; and
• Circular 13 of 2014 (Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer funds) outlines the public financial management principles, procedures, and additional reporting requirements to be followed in the management of grant funding provided from public money.