Written Answers - Conduct of Public Business.
Trevor Sargent
Question:
100
Mr. Sargent
asked the
Minister for Finance
if he will report on progress since the formation of the Government in relation to promoting greater openness, accountability and democracy participation in the conduct of public business.
[25750/98]
Since its formation, the Government has progressed a range of measures to promote openness, accountability and participation in the conduct of public business. These include initiatives in the following areas: Partnership 2000 provides for a National Centre for Partnership which will operate, in the first instance, for the period of P2000. This has been established. The following roles for the centre were identified in P2000; promotion of involvement and partnership; monitoring developments; technical assistance and support to organisations involved in developing involvement and partnership arrangements; dissemination of best practice, and training for management, union, employer and workplace representatives.
The work programme of the centre reflects these roles. The Deputy will be aware that the Freedom of Information Act commenced on 21 April 1998 for Government Departments and certain Government bodies. This Act asserts the right of members of the public to obtain access to official information to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy. The Act establishes three new statutory rights: a legal right for each person to access information held by public bodies; a legal right for each person to have official information, whether manually or electronically held, relating to him/herself amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading; and a legal right to obtain reasons for decisions affecting oneself.
Local authorities and health boards came within the scope of the Act on 21 October 1998. Following consultation with the Minister for Health and Children, I have agreed to extend the Freedom of Information Act to voluntary hospitals and major voluntary agencies in the health sector who are in receipt of significant public funding. These bodies will come within the scope of the Act at a date no later than 1 September 1999.
This lead in time is required to allow adequate time for preparation of publications required under the Act, training of staff and implementation of necessary organisational arrangements to handle FOI requests.
The Deputy will be also be aware of the Government's proposals for a Standards in Public Office Bill which are aimed at restoring confidence in public life through a credible policing mechanism for ethical issues. Following resolutions in the Dáil and Seanad in July 1998, these proposals are currently being considered by the Joint Committee on Finance and Public Service in conjunction with the Committees on Members' Interests in both Houses.
The programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium, commits the Government to the restoration of real decision making and power to local authorities and local people. In this context a significant range of initiatives which will facilitate greater participation in local government, both directly and indirectly, have been progressed. These were referred to in detail by my colleague, the Minister for Environment and Local Government, in his reply to Deputy Gormley on 9 December 1998 and include: strategic policy committees, including representatives of local sectoral interests, have been established in city and county councils to enhance the policy making role of elected councillors and to involve the local community more closely in the work of the authorities; implementation of the recommendations of the recently published report of the Task Force on Integration of Local Government and Local Development Systems will see local government and the wider community at the local level, including local development agencies and the social partners, working together on the proposed county/city development boards on the basis of real partnership. The task force is overseeing implementation of the recommendations. Comhar, the national sustainable development partnership, to which my colleague, the Minister for Environment and Local Government referred in his reply to Question No. 243 of 1 December 1998, will be established shortly and will deliver on the Government's commitment to increasing partnership and consultation on environmental policy. It will also facilitate broad public participation in issues of sustainable development.
Under the Public Service Management Act, 1997 organisational arrangements for civil servants are being made more transparent and effective in a number of ways. The accountability of a Secretary General to his or her Minister is put on a statutory basis. Such accountability is in respect of the exercise of authority and responsibility in relation to duties set out in the Act, subject to the determination of matters of policy by the Minister or the Government. It includes the following: managing the day-to-day business of the Department; implementing Government policies appropriate to the Department; monitoring Government policies that affect the Department; delivering outputs as determined with the Minister; preparing and submitting to the Minister a strategy statement in respect of the Department; providing progress reports to the Minister on implementation of the strategy statement; providing advice to the Minister; ensuring proper use of resources and the provision of cost-effective public services; and assigning duties, analogous to those assigned to the Secretary General, to other officers or grades down through the Department.
Officers who have been assigned functions are now being made accountable, in statute, to their Secretary General and to their line manager as appropriate. Secretaries General, or other designated officers, must now appear before Oireachtas committees when requested to do so in relation to the strategy statement for the Department. Civil servants assigned to crossdepartmental groups may now be made accountable for the utilisation of related financial resources with the agreement of, and in a manner to be specified by, the Minister for Finance.
Subject to amendments to other legislation and consultation with staff, Secretaries General will exercise authority in relation to appointments, performance, discipline and dismissal of all civil servants below the grade of principal or its equivalent. Authority in relation to appointments, performance and discipline, but not dismissal, of all civil servants below the grade of principal or its equivalent may be assigned by the Secretary General to other grades of civil servant.
Officers assigned duties will be directly accountable to the secretary general or other superior officers for the achievement of objectives and the delivery of specified outputs.
Under the Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Compellability, Privileges and Immunities of Witnesses) Act, 1997, all civil servants may be compelled to appear before an Oireachtas committee with power to send for persons or papers and, in such circumstances, may be granted privilege and immunity in relation to evidence.
The Deputy will be aware of proposals for a Comptroller and Auditor General and Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Special Provisions) Bill 1998 which is currently before the Houses. This will empower the Comptroller and Auditor General to report to Dáil Éireann on a range of issues relating to the deposit interest retention tax, non-residents' accounts, controversy.
The QCS initiative was launched in May 1997 with the adoption of the principles of QCS by participating Departments and offices. These principles include the setting of service standards, provision of information, timeliness and courtesy in service delivery, provision of complaints and redress mechanisms, meaningful consultation with customers and clients, choice in service delivery including payment methods and better access to public offices.
The customer service action plans of Departments and offices, published at end 1997 or early 1998, set out steps the organisations are taking to achieve full implementation of the principles by the end of 1999.
Regulatory reform is part of Delivering Better Government and is aimed at reducing red tape and increasing administrative simplification. This is important internationally in the interests of reducing the burden on business, especially SMES. A package of proposals in this area is being finalised and will be put to Government early in 1999.
