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policy, the broad resources required in each programme area, and
whether and to what extent existing plans will achieve the stated
objective; (ii) to review actual achievements in the past year
against agreed policies and objectives for that year; and (iii)
based on (i) and (ii) and on any indications of constraints to be
adopted for planning purposes, to consider the relative priority of
any alternative courses of action both within Programme Areas and
between Programme Areas within Service groups, relating the
requirement for resources of each alternative with its effect on
the achievement of the objective.
(b) The Chief Secretary's Committee uses the information (i) to review
achievements against policies; and (ii) to decide the relative
priorities between services (Programme Groups) of alternative courses
of action, based on any constraints to be adopted for planning
purposes.
The Five-Year Forecast
4.14
Five-year forecasts of revenue and expenditure are prepared
annually. The present format provides for them to be compiled in three
main appendices, designed to distinguish between:
(a) the financial implications of maintaining existing activity
at the present levels (Appendix I);
(b)
(c)
the financial implications of increasing, or reducing, the
present levels of existing activities, and/or introducing new
activity at the present levels (Appendix II); and
the financial implications of increasing the present levels
of existing activities, and/or introducing new activities
where this is either not within approved policies or is within
approved policies but without specifically agreed timing
(Appendix III).
In order to facilitate the consideration of relative priorities, Controlling