Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies.
Michael Joe Cosgrave
Question:
53
Mr. Cosgrave
asked the
Taoiseach
the number of task forces or special committees set up in his Department since 1997; the date they were established; the terms of reference of each; if they have reported; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24481/01]
As the Deputy will appreciate, my Department is involved in a range of cross-departmental activities and initiatives, including many groups set up by other Departments. The task forces and special committees set up in my Department since 1997 are as follows.
The Information Society Commission was established in May 1997 for an initial three year period until end-2000. It produced its third and final report to Government in December 2000.
Its terms of reference were as follows:
The Commission will have the function of shaping and overseeing the implementation of a strategic framework for the development of the Information Society in Ireland. The Commission will promote, co-ordinate and monitor the implementation of the actions required from Government and other key actors in the development of the Information Society. In particular, the Commission will:
1.identify quantifiable benchmarks for the development of an Information Society in Ireland and monitor the achievement of these benchmarks on an annual basis; relevant state agencies, Departments and private sector groups will be asked to assist the Commission by providing status reports and evaluations on a regular basis on the development of the Information Society within their areas of responsibility and expertise;
2.both develop and implement awareness programmes itself and in conjunction with relevant state agencies, Departments, and private sector groups, targeted at all sectors of the community on the benefits and opportunities of the Information Society;
3.recommend measures to increase access to information and communications technologies in homes, schools, businesses and public offices, and particularly measures aimed at those in disadvantaged groups;
4.establish advisory groups which would highlight specific sectoral issues with respect to the Information Society and develop recommendations for action;
5.encourage and monitor Information Society initiatives especially at local and regional level in the delivery of public services and information;
6.prepare an annual report for submission by the Taoiseach on the Commission's behalf to the Oireachtas.
Membership of a new Information Society Commission will be announced shortly.
An interdepartmental working group to examine and report on options for the future development of the Grangegorman site in Dublin city was set up by Government in May of this year. The group is chaired by my Department. Its terms of reference are as follows:
To examine how the Grangegorman site can best be developed to achieve Government policy priorities in meeting education and social service needs and in tackling construction industry capacity constraints. This will be done in a way, which takes into account the overall development of Dublin and leverages the strategic location and commercial potential of the site to attract private involvement on a PPP basis, having particular regard to the following: access by the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) at the earliest possible date to facilities needed for apprenticeship training, with site occupation as from the academic year 2001-2002; provision, on a staged basis over the longer-term, of modern campus facilities needed by Dublin Institute of Technology in the context of Government policy for 3rd level education as a whole; provision in the short-term, as part of the package, of non-acute units needed by the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) – on part of the campus, but also on other sites in the region – taking account of the investment in kind by the authority; arrangements to afford the local community access to playing field facilities on the campus; and integration of the proposed campus development with Luas and other relevant public transport provision.
An approach to financing that includes leverage of the site's strategic location and commercial potential to lessen the burden on the Exchequer and avoids circular transfer of funds between Votes.
Membership of the working group includes representatives of the ERHA, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin Corporation, the Departments of Health and Children, Education and Science, Environment and Local Government, Public Enterprise, Finance and the Taoiseach.
The group first met on 16 May 2001 and has met on five occasions since. I understand that the group should be able to complete its work and submit a report to Government in the near future.
The Grangegorman site is of strategic importance in the context of Dublin as a whole. My Department is working with the other Departments and agencies represented on the working group to ensure that its strategic location and potential is unlocked to best meet the Government's objectives in the provision of high quality health and education services and I am confident that this will be done.
The Steering Committee on the National Anti-Poverty Strategy involving the social partners, was established in July 2001 to oversee phase II of the review of the NAPS.
The steering group to examine basic income proposals, involving the social partners, was established in July 1997, to fulfil a commitment made in Partnership 2000. The group's role was to oversee a commissioned study which would take into account the work of the ESRI, CORI, the Expert Group on the Integration of Tax and Social Welfare and international research on the implications of introducing a basic income system. The overall purpose of the study was to consider and evaluate the economic, social, budgetary and administrative impact of the introduction of a basic income in Ireland on the basis of the proposal outlined by CORI in, Pathways to a Basic Income. The group concluded its deliberations and its report was published in March 2001.
The Expert Group on the Treatment of Foreign Donations was established by Government in February 2001 to assist Government in its examination of the constitutional and other matters concerning the treatment of foreign donations. The expert group reported to Government in April.
The Foot and Mouth Task Force was established by Government in February following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the UK to co-ordinate and manage the national response to the threat posed by the disease. The measures implemented have proven successful in preventing the spread of the disease.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 11 September, a high level contact group was established to monitor developments. The group had its first meeting on 12 September and it reported to Cabinet on 18 September. The group has continued to meet as a support to Departments and agencies involved in emergency planning. In particular, the group assists those Departments and agencies to identify additional threats arising from the changed international environment which need to be taken on board in their emergency plans. Since the establishment of the Office of Emergency Planning the group has been chaired by the Department of Defence.
A quality customer service working group was established in 1999. It had its first meeting on 3 November 1999. It was set up with the following terms of reference:
To monitor and evaluate progress at the level of Departments and offices and across the Civil Service; to develop mechanisms for sharing experiences and good practice at the level of Departments and offices and across the Civil Service; to oversee the development of mechanisms for benchmarking and for recognising improvement in quality service delivery; and to develop better internal customer service focus to drive external customer service in tandem with the business planning process.
Some of the aspects of QCS in which the working group has recently been engaged include the preparation of a practical guide to support Departments in preparing its new three year customer action plans. These plans incorporate the key principles of quality customer service, such as the need to set standards; to have high standards of access and information; to deliver services with timeliness and courtesy; to have systems for complaints, appeals and consultation; to foster a more co-ordinated an integrated approach to service delivery, with particular regard to the potential for e-Government; and to incorporate measures on equality and diversity, including the provision of services in Irish.
The group has also been engaged in the development of a support pack on the equality-diversity aspect of QCS to assist Departments in addressing the new area of equality and diversity. This is particularly important in view of the requirements placed on all service providers by the Equal Status Act, 2000.
It has commissioned research in the area of equality and diversity to support Departments in applying this principle in practice and established a network of QCS officers – the people in Departments who have practical responsibility for supporting QCS policy. The network meets regularly to share experiences and good practice and to develop the expertise of its members.
The group has also examined the possibility of introducing an accreditation scheme for customer service for the civil and public service.
The National Millennium Committee was established in November 1998 to make recommendations on projects, including funding, for inclusion in the Government's Millennium Programme 1999-2000 and to set up a system for supporting commemorative events at local and community levels. A fund of £33 million was provided in the Vote of the Department of the Taoiseach. A millennium office, based in the Department provides the secretariat to the committee, the cost of which is met from the millennium fund. Almost 2,400 projects and events were supported including flagship projects such as the millennium candle and the millennium forest.
It is anticipated that by January 2002, a comprehensive publication, detailing all of the millennium projects will be published and copies will be placed in the Library.
The Cross-Departmental Team on Infrastructure and PPPs was established in 1999. The team supports the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure and PPPs in the delivery of priority national infrastructure. The team continues to meet on a regular basis and has published its most recent progress report in April 2001.
The NDP Communications Strategy Group was established in 2000. This group oversees the co-ordination of the overall national development plan communications strategy and continues to meet.
The IFSC eCommerce Working Group was established in 2000 and considered the implications of eBusiness for the international financial services sector. It published two reports and completed its work in January 2001.
The Task Force on Road Haulage was established in September 2000 with the aim of bringing forward a programme of action for regulating abuses in the industry and increasing the professionalism of the industry generally. It completed its work and published a report in January 2001.
Steering committees dealing with the Sports Campus Ireland and Digital Hub Project have been transferred to the Departments of Tourism, Sport and Recreation and the Department of Public Enterprise, respectively.
