§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the Review of Public Administration; when interim proposals will be published; and if he will make a statement. [170437]
§ Mr. PearsonConsultation on high level models of public administration concluded on 27 February 2004 with some 170 responses being received. These have now been published on the Review's website.
On 27 and 29 April 2004 I met representatives of all the main political parties to outline the key messages emerging from the consultation responses, and to discuss the core elements of a new system of public administration that reflects the views expressed in these responses. The parties have agreed to work with me over the coming months, and I hope to be in a position to publish firm proposals for consultation in the autumn.
§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost incurred by the Review of Public Administration has been since the beginning of financial year 2001–02. [170438]
§ Mr. PearsonIn May 2002 the Northern Ireland Executive agreed an overall budget of £3 million for the Review of Public Administration. To date a total expenditure of £1 71 million has been incurred by the Review. Prior to that, some preparatory work was undertaken on the Review before a dedicated budget was established. This work was completed by officials in OFMDFM who were engaged on a variety of issues, and therefore it is not possible to identify these costs separately.