Written Answers. - Strategic Management Initiative.
Richard Bruton
Question:
142
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Taoiseach
the key indicators of input, output, outcome and performance which his Department monitors as part of the strategic management initiative; and the trend in these indicators in each year since 1997.
[18684/03]
The mandate of my Department derives from my role as Head of Government, together with the responsibilities of the Government Chief Whip and of the Minister of State for European Affairs. Therefore, while specific priorities may change from year to year, the overall objectives of my Department are supporting me and the Government in the conduct of the business of the Executive.
In that context, my Department pursues objectives in respect of Northern Ireland affairs, European Union and international affairs, economic and social policy, social partnership and social dialogue, public service modernisation, and the information society and e-government. These each give rise, from year to year, to specific objectives which are reflected in the business plan for each division of my Department. These, in turn, are reflected in personal work objectives for each officer, established in accordance with the performance management and development system which operates across the Civil Service. Progress in the implementation of the business plans is routinely monitored by the management advisory committee of my Department.
Together with my colleagues, the Government Chief Whip and the Minister of State for European Affairs, I review regularly with the Secretary General of the Department the achievement by the Department of the policy objectives of the Government. In the nature of the work of the Department, the quantification of performance is complex. Particularly with regard to overall outcome, having regard to the nature of the issues being pursued, the appropriate measures are often qualitative rather than quantitative. It is, therefore, impossible to give a simple statement with regard to trend.
There has, however, been a significant record of achievement since 1997 in, for example, the negotiation and implementation of three social partnership agreements. The conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement, the progressive development of the arrangements agreed under it and the handling of issues as they have arisen have also reflected a high standard of performance, in conjunction with the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Similarly, with regard to European affairs, Irish interests have been effectively advanced in the series of European Councils in which I have participated, in the negotiations on Agenda 2000 and the Treaty of Nice and in the recent work of the Convention on the Future of Europe. In these areas, as in many other aspects of my Department's work, close and effective co-operation with other Departments, notably the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Finance, is essential and has been operated.
Trends in output can, in some respects, be more easily reflected in quantitative measures. For example, in years when the negotiation of a social partnership agreement was in my Department's business plan, its success or otherwise could clearly be reported. Trends in other indicators of output can also be presented, such as the number of Government meetings and Cabinet committees serviced and the number of parliamentary questions answered.
In addition, the performance of divisions and individual officers of the Department is managed on a continuing basis. A critical element in this is implementation of the modernisation programme, in the context of public service modernisation overall, in which my Department plays a lead role. Performance indicators in respect of the modernisation programme for my Department under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness were approved by the independent quality assurance group, which also approved payment of the relevant pay increase on the basis of satisfactory progress.
Performance indicators are being considered by the new performance verification group for the Civil Service under the relevant terms of Sustaining Progress, following on the report of the benchmarking body. With respect to trends in input, these consist primarily of the financial resources provided through the Vote for my Department and the number of staff, both core and non-core, who are employed. Linking the inputs received to the outputs generated is an important dimension of the measuring of performance. My Department was the first to complete installation of a new management information framework and it is participating in a pilot programme, led by the Department of Finance, to develop a robust system for measuring trends in activity and output relative to the resources consumed in their delivery. For the reasons I have mentioned earlier, linking such trends to indicators of outcome is more problematic, but can be better attempted with the availability of appropriate management information.
