Special Reports

The Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the Valuation Office examines ; the arrangements for the provision of valuation services to rating authorities and public bodies ; the progress in implementation of the revaluation programme ; how overall performance is managed.

This report is based on an examination of the implementation of management information systems in the Institute of Technology Sector.The report sets recommendations on managing major IT procurement and on IT planning, monitoring and control.

This examination was undertaken to establish the extent to which government departments and agencies are providing information and services on-line and are using internet-based technology to improve their efficiency.

This examination looked at all the areas of activity of the Financial Regulator since its establishment.

This report examines the outcome of the Comptroller and Auditor General's follow-up review.

This examination set out to review the extent to which the terms of the existing common contract were implemented in the acute hospital sector.

Over the past two decades the Department of Education and Science has introduced a range of specific measures to counter educational disadvantage. There were four main schemes implemented. Under these schemes, resources are provided for interventions at the level of schools, pupils, families and the wider community. In addition, as part of their ongoing educational effort, schools attempt to address the effects of disadvantage using their mainline resources and budgets. This report examines the utilisation of the specific funds devoted to combating educational disadvantage in primary schools. €61.8 million was spent to this end in the school year 2003-2004.

The Comptroller and Auditor General carried out an examination that identified the factors that gave rise to the rapid increase in expenditure, reviewed how well the Department managed the scheme and considered its future direction.

The State provided €877m to nonprofit organisations to provide health services to persons with disabilities in 2004.The examination focused on the arrangements between the State and the nonprofit sector for the provision of these services and the issues that will have to be addressed in future delivery of the services.

The examination was carried out due to value for money concerns in relation to the large escalation in the cost of the project from initiation to date , the extended timeframe over which the project was being implemented , the reduced functionality being delivered and whether the expected benefits are being realised. The examination also reviewed how the project was planned and governed including the adequacy of the business appraisal, how change management was handled and the arrangements for the procurement and management of consultancy and technical support services.