The Department website already includes general information about all aspects of public expenditure and reform, including an overview of general expenditure trends since 1994.
The new Databank website provides comprehensive information on every aspect of Government expenditure over the years. Users can easily create tables and spreadsheets showing how spending on current, capital or pay has evolved since 1994, whether for the whole of Government or for individual Departments. The Databank even generates graphs automatically.
The recently-appointed Secretary General of the Department, Robert Watt, has made it clear that this information is the beginning, and not the end, of the process of opening up the State's data. "As far as the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is concerned, information on public expenditure should be available to the public and should be available for public use," he said. "Our aim is to put Ireland at the leading edge of what is available, in terms of openness and transparency of public expenditure data."
The Department plans to make further information available in the near future: every 'subhead' of expenditure - the individual units that usually correspond with individual schemes and programmes - will be available on the Databank. This will provide the public with a volume of historical and current data about how public money is spent, in what area and how the expenditure trends have moved over the years.
Over time, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will put all appropriate information in the hands of the public via the new Databank. As well as historical and annual information, it is intended that monthly Exchequer data, General Government expenditure data and the Purchase Orders made by every Government Department and Agency will be made available for public scrutiny.
Mr Watt added that the Department would be keen to respond to suggestions from the public, or from researchers, about additional information that could be released via the Databank. Suggestions should be sent to the email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Further information:
- Official press release - Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
- Databank
- Background information - ePractice eGovernment Factsheet for Ireland
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Quelle/Source: epractice, 11.07.2011
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