The Government has established an Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES). The purpose of the new service, according to Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, is to: “Support better policymaking across the system, through enhanced economic and policy analysis expertise. The work of the unit will support departments in evaluating policy and expenditure options; value for money exercises; cost benefit and regulatory impact analyses; and regulatory and competition issues”.
It is also hoped the service will help to address the gaps in economic expertise and policy analysis capability across the civil service. A macroeconomic stream will be established to address the needs of the Department of Finance and other departments for macroeconomic expertise. Recruitment is ongoing through the Public Appointments Commission and within the Civil Service. Between 20-30 staff will be recruited initially, with postgraduate staff with economic qualifications being the primary target. These new recruits will undergo an initial training period in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and will subsequently be deployed to the relevant department.