Expenditure Reviews | Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service

These publications have been prepared by members of IGEES and do not necessarily represent the policy positions of the relevant Department, Minister or the Government.

Budget 2022

The following papers have been completed by IGEES staff and are being published alongside Budget 2022.

Spending Review 2021

The Spending Review process aims to facilitate the development of policy analysis and evaluation in support of the service-wide agenda of evidence-informed policy making

To make this work more accessible, three documents containing the executive summaries of the 2022 papers have also been published.

Spending Review 2021 – Tranche 1 Executive Summaries

Spending Review 2021 – Tranche 2 Executive Summaries

Spending Review 2021 – Tranche 3 Executive Summaries

A number of the topic papers were undertaken, or supported, by IGEES staff based across the various Government departments and as such, the papers prepared for the Spending Review cover a wide range of policy areas and account for a significant proportion of current expenditure.

Budget 2021

The following papers have been completed by IGEES staff and are being published alongside Budget 2021. These include the latest papers completed as part of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) series. In addition, a number of papers have been published under the Prevention and Early Intervention Unit’s Focused Policy Assessment Series. This series of descriptive reports is intended to provide the evidential base for a later thematic consideration of prevention and early interventions in Ireland.

Social Impact Assessment Series

SIA – Student Grant Scheme (SUSI Grants)

Social Impact Assessment – SEAI Programmes Targeting Energy Poverty

Spending Review 2020

The Spending Review process aims to facilitate the development of policy analysis and evaluation in support of the service-wide agenda of evidence-informed policy making. The Spending Review in 2020 resulted in 25 published papers. To make this work more accessible, two documents containing the executive summaries of the 2020 papers have also been published.

Executive Summaries – Tranche 1 Publications

Executive Summaries – Tranche 2 Publications

A number of the topic papers were undertaken, or supported, by IGEES staff based across the various Government departments and as such, the papers prepared for the Spending Review cover a wide range of policy areas and account for a significant proportion of current expenditure. While the majority of this work was undertaken by staff in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, IGEES staff across the network undertake and input into papers.

Budget 2020

The following analytical papers have been completed by IGEES staff and are being published alongside Budget 2020. These include the latest papers completed as part of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) series. In addition, a number of papers have been published under the Prevention and Early Intervention Unit’s Focused Policy Assessment Series. This series of descriptive reports is intended to provide the evidential base for a later thematic consideration of prevention and early interventions in Ireland.

Budget 2020 – Analytical Papers

Analysis of Live Register Expenditure

Housing Assistance Payment (2014 – 2019)

Quality of Employment Indicators and Trends

The Inactive Working Age Population A Comparison of Cohort Links to the Labour Market

Social Impact Assessment Series

SIA – Acute Mental Health Services

SIA – Assessment of Living Standards Results of the Survey on Income and Living Conditions

SIA – Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA)

SIA – Equality Budgeting – Relevant Findings from Ex Post Evaluation

SIA – Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS)

SIA – Public Service Obligation (PSO) Funding for Public Transport

Prevention and Early Intervention Unit (PEIU) – FPA Series

PEIU FPA Series – Family Services Supporting Children and their Families

PEIU FPA Series – PEI Supporting Health and Well being in older age

PEIU FPA Series – Programmatic Interventions for Children Young People and their Parents

Spending Review 2019

The 2019 Spending Review is the third in a series of rolling, selective reviews, which intend to cover the totality of Government spending over a three year period. this process commenced in 2017 and was completed in 2019. The papers below were published, in part, alongside the Mid-Year Expenditure Report and also alongside Budget 2020 . The objective of this review, is to ensure that all Government expenditure is considered with regard to the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact.

A number of the topic papers were undertaken, or supported, by IGEES staff based across the various Government departments and as such, the papers prepared for the Spending Review cover a wide range of policy areas and account for a significant proportion of current expenditure. While the majority of this work was undertaken by staff in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, papers that were prepared elsewhere, are marked appropriately.

The final three papers listed, could be not be uploaded to the IGEES website because of restrictions placed on file sizes. However, these papers can be accessed here.

Budget 2019

The following analytical papers have been completed by IGEES staff and are being published alongside Budget 2019. These include the latest papers completed as part of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) series. In addition, a number of papers have been published under the Prevention and Early Intervention Unit’s Focused Policy Assessment Series. This series of descriptive reports is intended to provide the evidential base for a later thematic consideration of prevention and early interventions in Ireland.

Budget 2019 – Analytical Papers

Analysis of Live Register Related Expenditure

Evaluation of Budget 2017 Compliance Measures

Government Expenditure on General Practice in Ireland

Health Budget Oversight and Management – Alignment of Health Budget and Natioanl Service Plan

Hospital Income – 2013-2017

Small Advanced Open Economies – A Comparative Analysis

State Supported Loan Schemes – A Preliminary Analysis

Trends in General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme

Social Impact Assessment Series

SIA – Female Labour Force Participation

SIA Series – Targeted Childcare Programmes

SIA Series – Social Housing Supports

SIA – National Minimum Wage

SIA – Assessment of Living Standards in Recovery Period

Prevention and Early Intervention Unit (PEIU) FPA Series

PEIU FPA Series – Immunisation

PEIU FPA Series Aftercare

PEIU FPA Series Diabetic RetinaScreen

Spending Review 2018

The 2018 Spending Review is the second in a series of rolling, selective reviews, which will cover the totality of Government spending over a three year period up to 2019. The 2018 Spending Review follows on from the one carried out in 2017 as it is also published alongside the Mid-Year Expenditure Report. The objective of this review, is to ensure that all Government expenditure is considered with regard to the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact.

A number of the topic papers were undertaken, or supported, by IGEES staff based across the various Government departments and as such, the papers prepared for the Spending Review cover a wide range of policy areas and account for a significant proportion of current expenditure. While the majority of this work was undertaken by staff in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, papers that were prepared elsewhere, are marked appropriately.

1. Revenue Digitalisation Efficiency Effectiveness and Insights

2. Management of the Exchequer Pay Bill Key Issues

3. HSE Pay and Staffing

4. Policing Civilianisation in Ireland Lessons from International Practice

5. Overtime Spending in An Garda Síochána

6. Pay Expenditure Drivers at Primary and Secondary Level

7. Understanding the funding needs of Higher Education

8. Trend in services for older persons

9. Public Service Occupational Pensions in Ireland Cashflow Analysis

10. Review of Criminal Legal Aid (Department of Justice & Equality)

11. Analysis of Low Income Supports

12. Public Employment Services

13. An Analysis of Replacement Rates

14. Trend Analysis of IDA Ireland Expenditure

15. Analysis of Enterprise Supports and the Labour Market

16. Focused Policy Assessment of Start up and Entrepreneurship Supports

17. Sports Capital Programme

18. Public Service Obligation PSO Funding for Public Transport Analysis of Performance Measurement

19. Current and Capital Expenditure on Social Housing Delivery

20. OPW State Rents

21. Subsidised Ferry Services to the Offshore Islands

22. VFM Recommendations in DTTAS sector

23. Arts Council Recommendations Review

24. Comparative Levels and Efficiency of Public Expenditure

25. Hospital Inputs and Outputs

26. Nursing and Midwifery Expenditure

Spending Review 2017

The 2017 Spending Review is the first in a series of rolling, selective reviews, which will cover the totality of Government spending over a three year period to 2019. The results of the first year of this new approach are published with the Mid-Year Expenditure Report 2017. The objective of the review is to ensure that all Government expenditure is considered with regard to the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact.

The output for the 2017 Spending Review has two main elements with key sectoral trend analyses and individual topic papers.

The individual topic papers were selected to reflect key strategic/priority areas of expenditure, both in terms of the quantum of expenditure and the significance of the emerging policy challenges. The published output of the Spending Review is intended to contribute to a robust evidence base to inform policy making in the short and medium term.

The Spending Review framework and approach taken is in keeping with a range of other reform measures put in place to embed and improve the use of evidence in policy making across the public service, including the establishment of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, the development of the performance budgeting initiative and the Public Spending Code.

A number of the topic papers were undertaken, or supported, by IGEES staff and include papers on IGEES output, housing supports, climate change related research, acute hospital spending, pharmaceutical expenditure, the Environment Fund, special educational needs provision, further education and training and employment supports, enterprise supports, police expenditure, and funding for public transport. As such, the papers prepared for the Spending Review cover a wide range of policy areas and account for a significant proportion of current expenditure.

Estimating the Value of Additional Hours Worked – HRA and CPA

Analysis of Jobseekers and Related Expenditure

Disability Allowance Expenditure Drivers

Disability and Special Education Related Expenditure

Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes II

Staff Paper 2017 Nursing Homes Support Scheme – Trends and Figures

Primary Care Reimbursement Service – Trend Analysis

Central Votes Spending Trends and Key Drivers

Analysis of Current Expenditure on Housing Supports

Tracking Trends in Public-Spending-2017

The Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service_Selection of IGEES Output

Climate Change Related Research and Funding in Ireland

Environment Fund

Acute Hospital Spending Review

Future Sustainability of Pharmaceutical Expenditure

Special Educational Needs Provision

Further Education and Training and Employment Supports Overview Paper

Analysis of Further Education & Training Expenditure by Education Training Boards

An Assessment of the Rationale, Efficiency and Targeting of Enterprise Supports in Ireland

Challenges for Investment in Police Expenditure_ A Public Expenditure Perspective

Public Service Obligation (PSO) Funding for Public Transport

Review of Social Protection Employment Supports Expenditure

Budget 2017

IGEES prepares a number of papers to inform the Budgetary process each year. The papers below informed budget 2017:

Budgetary Impact of Changing Demographics 2017-2027

Spending Reviews in Ireland – Lessons for the Future

Budget 2015 and the 2014 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure

Multi-annual expenditure reviews are part of Ireland’s reformed budgetary process. A new Comprehensive Review of Expenditure was announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin in the 2014 Budget. The Review has been carried out and was published on 14 October 2014.

The Review informs expenditure allocations for the 2015 – 2017 period. IGEES members in Government Departments contributed to the work of the Review.

As part of the CRE process, a small number of evaluations/policy analysis papers were carried out by members of the Irish Government Economic & Evaluation Service (IGEES) in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. These papers can be found at the links below:

Behavioural Economics

Future Expenditure Risks associated with Climate Change Climate Finance

The Cost of the Public Service

Expenditure Report 2013

Part III of the Expenditure Report 2013 comprised analytical papers prepared by the CEEU (now part of IGEES):

2011 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure

The CEEU (now part of IGEES) completed the following series of thematic evaluations which fed into the 2011 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure and were published on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s website along with the submissions which were received from each Department:

Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure

The CEEU also assisted the Special Group on Public Service numbers and Expenditure which was established in late 2008 to examine the current expenditure programmes in each Government Department and to make recommendations for reducing public service numbers. The report of the Special Group is published on the Department of Finance’s website here.

The following cross-cutting analyses informed the work of the Group: