Written answers

Tuesday, 25 November 2025

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Departmental Reports

Photo of Gerald NashGerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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304. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to set out a list of unpublished reports carried out by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, either directly in his Department or by other Departments, which have been sent to his Department, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65765/25]

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Policy analysis is a core component of the public expenditure management and value for money frameworks. Irish Government Economic Evaluation Service (IGEES) plays a key role in supporting all departments and offices in delivering on their value for money responsibilities through undertaking regular analysis of expenditure trends and policies. Alongside this, individual line Departments also maintain responsibility for conducting detailed policy analysis within their own sectors, contributing sector-specific insights and evidence to the wider policy making process. Reports are published on individual Departmental websites and where applicable can also be accessed through the IGEES website.

Since 2024 approximately 63 papers have been published by Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, staff across Government. During 2025, policy analysis and expenditure evaluations on a broad range of topics, including disability services, social housing, migration and labour market trends, statutory sick leave, well-being, education, transport, and youth participation. This analytical research has continued to play a key role in supporting evidence-based policymaking across the government.

In addition, my department continually seeks to ensure evidence and analysis is at the centre of policy making including through the budgetary process. This is communicated through our range of publications including the annual Expenditure Report, the recently published Medium Term Expenditure Framework, the Public Service Performance Report, as well our expenditure and policy evaluation papers across a range of topics.

In preparation for Budget 2026, my department undertook several pieces of analysis to support resource allocation:

  • The Public Service Performance Report, published in June, detailed how Departments performed against targets set in the Revised Estimates process. This supports assessment of progress ahead of the budgetary process.
  • The National Development Plan Review, published in July, sets out investment plans to address the infrastructure deficit in the best way to safeguard our economy, drive growth and opportunity, protect jobs, increase competitiveness and ensure prosperity for our people and communities. This review was underpinned by analysis of drivers of infrastructure needs.
  • The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework was published in September. This is a multiyear public expenditure planning exercise and supports assessment of the resource implications of future policy decisions over the period 2025 to 2030.
This work complements engagement with Departments in the Estimates process and the analysis underpinning these discussions, such as, for example, the Forecasting Live Register Claimants and Expenditure 2026 paper, published by my department on budget day, which examines labour market trends and forecasts Live Register related expenditure for 2026. Other recent publications from my department also include:
  • Review of Social Housing Delivery and Spend;
  • Managing IPAS Expenditure Pressures: Demand-Side Drivers and Policy Responses;
  • School Meals Programme: An Analytical Review of Expenditure, Participation and Governance, and:
  • “Specialist Disability Services in Ireland: An Overview of Expenditure Trends, Activity Outputs and Budget Governance 2018–2023.
These along with all of my Department’s published policy analysis and strategies are available on the department’s website.

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