2020-21 In-year Monitoring of Public Expenditure – First Round: Supporting Assembly Committees in their Advisory & Scrutiny Roles

Synopsis: The Department of Finance (DoF) has started its first round of in-year public expenditure monitoring for the current financial year; directed by its Guidelines, dated 5 May 2020, which subsequently were issued to all departments. This briefing paper seeks to both inform and facilitate Assembly statutory committees and the Assembly’s Audit Committee (AAC), a standing committee, when: (i) Engaging on monitoring round returns to be made to the DoF by the departments and the relevant bodies; and later, (ii) Scrutinising information and data included in those returns (scrutiny role) Throughout, potential scrutiny points are identified for consideration and use by individual committees.

Date: 13 October 2020