Government’s Expenditure Review Initiative Progress Lunchtime seminar of Irish Evaluation Network 10 March 2005 Conor McGinn, Department of Finance

Content Expenditure Review history and processes Management structures Report on progress, Views of Depts & Quality Assessors Conclusions and recommendations What next?

Some initial scepticisms Departments reviewing themselves, making case for more resources Why evaluate when the answer is obvious? ERI yet another bureaucratic paper- generating-machine Evaluation not a priority for top management and at political level

ERI events since 1997 The Strategic Mangement Initiative and the beginnings of expenditure review Objectives of the ERI C&AG value for money study of the ERI, October 2001 Reforms to the process,

Stages under each round of ERI Selection of topics by each Dept’s Management Advisory Committee In consultation with Dept of Finance Topics submitted for Government approval Local steering committees for each review appointed

ERI stages (cont’d) Terms of reference approved by relevant Secretary General Data collection & analysis; report drafted Draft report quality assessed externally Publication; laying before Oireachtas And hopefully… … review recommendations implemented

Expenditure Review Central Steering Committee (ERCSC) Chaired by Secretary General, Department of Finance Vets progress in Departments regarding: selection of topics Progress with reviews, etc. Monitors quality and assesses impact Reports and makes recommendations to Minister & Government

And the name…? First called the Central Steering Committee, the CSC … … ‘til the Civil Service Commission became upset! ERCSC: You pronounce it! Lord of the Rings: the Orcs The ‘real’ CSC no longer exists All very ERC-some

Expenditure Reviewers’ Network Our own mini-version of the IEN For civil servants carrying out reviews - all Depts/Offices represented: 250+ members Includes students of CMOD Masters course in public policy analysis Overseeing committee chaired by Dept of Finance Offers training, network events, & extranet

Why produce a report now? A good thing to do … (Still feels that way after being called before an Oireachtas Committee?) To put focus on Departments To take stock of progress of reforms & indicate areas for further change To consider how ERI interlinks with other reforms/initiatives

Report was based on Discussions with Secretaries General Views of Expenditure Reviewers’ Network Committee’s own deliberations Questionnaire responses received from the Quality Assessors

Secretaries General on role & impact of ERI Reviews help provide better information and so contribute to policy development Clarify objectives of programmes reviewed Highlight operational & efficiency improvements Help set context for subsequent decisions Contribute to the Estimates process Foster a culture of evaluation

Comments by Quality Assessors Selection of topics for review Quality of review report Terms of reference Evaluation approach

Quality Assessors, cont’d Planning and managing of reviews Steering committees, external input Evaluative capacity Response to quality assessment process

Criteria used by Quality Assessors in assessing reviews 1.Are ToR appropriate to the ERI? 2.Does report comprehensively address ToR? 3.Adequacy of analytical approach; robustness of methodologies used 4.Addresses future performance indicators? 5.Conclusions and recommendations supported by analysis? 6.Structure, presentation, clarity of report

Some Departments currently showing strong engagement Agriculture & Food Foreign Affairs Social and Family Affairs Enterprise, Trade and Employment New kid on the block: Community, Rural and Gaeltachts Affairs

Some Departments that are still building evaluation capacity Education and Science Health … though many evaluation reports/studies produced Communications, Marine & Natural Resources Environment & Local Government Arts, Sports and Tourism Finance

ERCSC’s main findings Slippages in completing reviews on time Number of reviews OK, taking other forms of evaluation into account Implementation of reforms to the ERI has taken longer than expected A need to build impact of reviews on resource allocation

Main findings (cont’d) Planning, managing and resourcing the review process has been a problem Evaluation culture in Departments is variable, but improving Synergies are possible with other elements of public service modernisation programme

Report recommendations 1. Improving timeliness of reviews 2. Changes to structures & reporting arrangements within Depts/Offices 3. Detailing progress in Modernisation Action Plan updates under Sustaining Progress 4. Stating of reasons for each review

Recommendations (cont’d) 5. Making review steering committees more independent 6. Strengthening of central supports 7. Smaller Offices 8. Systems to follow-up on review recommendations

Recommendations (cont’d) 9. Annual Reports of Departments/Offices to detail review activity 10. Laying review reports before Oireachtas Committees 11. Linkages with Management Information Framework 12. Linkages with Policy Analysis training

Where now? Report was accepted and is being implemented Call for round of reviews has issued, with focus to be on important, key areas ERI building interlinkages with other initiatives: –NDP/CSF evaluation, –policy analysis training, –Management Information Framework Minister’s recent call for debate on Budgetary process will have implications for the ERI

Longer-term issues Moving beyond expenditure programmes –Administrative expenditure –Tax expenditures Handling cross-departmental issues Encouraging politicians to ask the right questions Perhaps the time is ripe for another external evaluation of the ERI?