Press release
Minister McGrath publishes the first tranche of Spending Review Papers for 2022
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, has today published the first papers as part of the 2022 Spending Review process.
The Spending Review process is a key platform for generating evidence for policy making across the Civil Service. Supported by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Services (IGEES) , the process has become a focal point for analysis across government departments.
Welcoming the publication of the reviews, Minister McGrath stated:
“The Spending Review process is an important part of the how we critically assess public expenditure on an ongoing basis. At the heart of the process is a desire to ensure that value for money is being achieved for taxpayers. This is more critical now than it has ever been, given the many expenditure demands on the State. I am pleased to say that the Spending Review process is now firmly embedded in the management of expenditure by the State and is producing tangible improvements in outcomes across government departments.
"I welcome the publication of two important papers today in the areas of Sports Capital and the operation of the State property portfolio and I commend the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service who have worked to produce these valuable reports.”
Speaking in relation to the Spending Review on the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme, Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said:
“The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) plays a critical role in ensuring that we have the necessary sports facilities to achieve our ambitious targets for sports participation. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion. Under the latest round of the Programme alone, we allocated over €166.6 million to projects right around the country which represented the highest level of funding ever awarded.
"Today’s report shows that the SCEP is delivering on its main objectives. We shouldn’t be complacent however, and all of the findings in the report will be fully considered when we finalise the terms and conditions of the next call for applications.”
In addition, Jack Chambers, Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport, said:
“Ireland’s formation of policy in the area of Sports, has greatly expanded in recent years with a greater focus on female participation, enhancing supports for people with disabilities and the sharing of facilities. The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme has evolved with these priorities.
"It is welcome that some of the historic issues which were identified within the programme have been addressed through the 2020 round. This review paper and its findings will play an important role in providing evidence to guide future adjustments to the programme to ensure more effective delivery of sporting priorities.”
Responding to Spending Review on the OPW Estate Management Portfolio, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O'Donovan, added:
"This analysis has been undertake at a challenging time where the impact of rising rents and new blended working models are hard to gauge. However, it is timely, as it provides important insights into the pressures and value-for-money benefits associated with either building, purchasing or leasing property for government departments and agencies, particularly over the long term.
"These findings will allow us to continue to support government strategy by addressing our client departments' evolving accommodation requirement, on a case-by-case basis, and building on current initiatives for investing in modern, sustainable and agile workspaces."
Further Spending Review papers will be published in the coming weeks with additional tranches to be published following the Budget in the Autumn.
The papers published today, in addition to all spending review papers published since 2017, are available on the Spending Review website.
High level summaries of papers published today:
Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Public Expenditure and Reform
This paper aims to assess the distributive efficiency of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) by reviewing the policy context for the SCEP and analysing the trends in SCEP applications and grants awarded, to determine if the SCEP is providing funding to the areas targeted by the National Sports Policy. This analysis will also identify any learnings, which may be used to improve the department’s appraisal, management and delivery of the SCEP.
Focused Policy Assessment: The Distributive Efficiency of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP)
This paper aims to assess the distributive efficiency of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) by reviewing the policy context for the SCEP and analysing the trends in SCEP applications and grants awarded, to determine if the SCEP is providing funding to the areas targeted by the National Sports Policy. This analysis will also identify any learnings, which may be used to improve the department’s appraisal, management and delivery of the SCEP.
Office of Public Works
An Assessment of the Balance of Current and Capital Expenditure: OPW Estate Management Portfolio
This paper sets out an overview of the OPW Estate Portfolio and considers the balance between current and capital investment for providing office accommodation. The paper evaluates the relative long-term cost of these potential delivery options across a number of case studies and provides an evidence base to contribute to future decision-making on the selection of the most cost-effective and suitable office accommodation solutions.