To ask the Minister of Finance whether his Department takes a role in ensuring Executive Departments are applying Value for Money criteria in the evaluation of their schemes.

My department wrote to all departments in March 2020 advising them of the process to be followed in respect of funding requirements and appraisal for Covid-19 cases/schemes. My department advised that normal appraisal processes remain in place for all Business As Usual cases, in line with requirements of Managing Public Money Northern Ireland (MPMNI) and Northern Ireland Guide to Expenditure Appraisal and Evaluation (NIGEAE).

In recognition of the speed with which the pandemic was developing and the need for a rapid response, the Covid-19 appraisal process my department introduced follows an abbreviated process compared to business as usual cases. However, and critically, a proportionate business case remains a requirement for these interventions, as with any other. These business cases also are reviewed by economists in departments as well as scrutiny by my own department where required, as detailed in both MPMNI and NIGEAE.

Due to the pace at which some Covid interventions and schemes have been developed, there has in some instances not been sufficient time to establish the Value for Money of certain schemes. In such cases, Ministers have, either with Executive agreement or that of the Finance Minister, acted by way of Ministerial Direction in order to ensure that support gets out to those who need it in time and that there is transparency around the decision making.

Enhanced guidance to clarify the process to be followed in respect of Ministerial Directions is expected to be issued in the near future which will include a new process for the Department of Finance publishing such directions. This will help improve transparency and make such information more readily available and accessible to the public. Previously, information on Ministerial Directions was contained within individual Departments’ Annual Reports and Accounts. Further, the Public Accounts Committee published a summary of Ministerial Directions considered by them as part of their end of session reports each year.