To ask the Minister of Finance whether his Department holds key performance indicators for Economic Appraisals approved for capital spending proposals from (i) Departments; (ii) arms-length bodies; and (iii) other public bodies, specifically with regards to timescales for turnaround.

All business cases submitted for approval come from the relevant department, including those where the proposal originates from an arms-length body.

The Department of Finance has a target turnaround time of 20 working days for responding to submissions of business cases. This can be either to seek further clarification around issues raised in reviewing the business case or with an approval decision.

During 2020/21; 90% of responses were provided to departments within this timescale, with an average turnaround time of just over 10 working days.

The time taken for an expenditure proposal to be approved can depend on the quality of information contained within the business case, as well as the timeliness of departments in responding to any queries raised.