Page 49 - Linkline Autumn 2015

sharP foCus on green sChooLs TransPorT
The Green-School Travel Programme is the most recent Exchequer-funded programme to go under the microscope of a Focused Policy Assessment (FPA). This particular FPA was carried out by the Economic and Financial Evaluation Unit of the Department Transport, Tourism and Sport, in line with the provisions of the Public Spending Code http://publicspendingcode.per.gov.ie/
The features of a FPA are described in box 1. Tom ferris1
The Green-School Travel Programme is described as an ‘activity based mobility management programme’. This FPA assessment deals with the period 2008 to 2012. On the cover of the assessment, it is stated clearly that it ∑ “...does not necessarily re ect the policy position of the Department, the Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport or the Government”. While a number of successes are recorded in the assessment, there are also a number of shortcomings listed. The FCA does, however, provide seven recommendations which were designed to tackle the issues raised in the assessment. They are listed in box 2.
Box 1: What are focused Policy assessments?
why fpas? Focused Policy Assessments (FCAs) address speci c issues relating to the delivery of speci c public expenditure policies. The Public Spending Code* states that
∑ “Building upon the experience of the 2011 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE), the full VFM & Policy Reviews will ... be complemented with sharper and more narrowly focused assessments designed to answer speci c issues of policy con guration and deliver.”
what do fpas do? The FPAs can play a useful role in addressing the following types of policy issue:-
• Cross-cutting issues of relevance to one or more department; typically conducted by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and/or other Departments;
• Evaluation of a discrete expenditure programme, to answer speci c questions of programme design and delivery, by reference to one or more evaluation criteria;
• Preliminary evaluation of a more complex programme(s) to scope issues that may bene t from full Value-for-Money Policy Reviews.
how are fpas processed? The overarching FPA process is designed to be exible and not overly prescriptive, while meeting certain requirements:
- Operating under a clear mandate from the relevant of cial with responsibility for Programme area and the Head of the Central Expenditure Evaluation Unit (CEEU);
- Are conducted by a Department’s evaluation unit and / or by an evaluator from CEEU. Ideally there should be no more than one or two evaluators.
- Have tightly framed terms of reference focusing on the key issue at hand.
- Do not require a steering committee; the responsibility of the evaluation should be under the management of the relevant departmental of cials, as appropriate.
- Are completed within tight timeframes, 3 months as a rule. - Are routinely published on http://publicspendingcode.per.
gov.ie
*Published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
The Green-School Programme
Under the Green-School Travel Programme, schools are expected to improve pupils’ safety, health and tness by promoting sustainable transport modes ∑ walking, cycling, car pooling or public transport, In addition, the programme helps to improve the environment. It has been in operation nationally since 2008, following a two-year pilot in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA).
The programme under examination is funded by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS), with funding provided through the National Transport Authority (NTA) to An Taisce, who operates the programme. Up to 2012, An Taisce employed two types of school engagement of cers - the Green-School Travel Development Of cer and the Green-School Travel Of cers (GSTO). These of cers delivered the travel programme in participating schools, as well as carrying out other activities including administration and liaising with Local Authorities. The Focused Policy Assessment acknowledges that – “throughout the process the contribution of teachers within the schools in leading, organising and contributing positively to the programme was highlighted as central to the success of the programme”.
There is a speci c Service Level Agreement under which funding is provided to An Taisce. The agreement sets out the following objectives for the scheme:
• To increase the number of schools participating in the programme;
• To increase the number of children participating in the programme;
• To improve the geographic spread of the participating schools; and
• To achieve and sustain a shift from reliance on the private car for school transport.
1Tom Ferris is a Consultant Economist. He is a former President of the Chartered Institute of Transport. He was previously the Department of Transport’s Senior Economist. The views expressed in this article are those of the author.
34 The CharTered InsTITuTe of LogIsTICs & TransporT
GREEN SCHOOLS TRANSPORT