Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
114 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action taken by his Department on each recommendation of the PA consultancy report on the implementation of the strategic management initiative. [15024/04]
View answerIn July 2001, the Department of the Taoiseach commissioned PA Consulting to review progress achieved by Departments and offices under the strategic management initiative, SMI, programme. The consultants' evaluation report was published in March 2002. The main findings of the report were that the Civil Service was more effective in 2002 than it had been ten years previously, and that much of the observed change had been achieved as a direct consequence of the SMI programme. The report also concluded, however, that the implementation of the modernisation programme was not yet complete and that further progress was required across all its key components, in particular in the areas of human resource management, financial management and information systems management. The report also advocated the development of a new vision for the Civil Service for the period up to 2007.
The vast majority of the individual recommendations contained in the report were of a strategic nature, to be addressed centrally in the first instance by the Departments of the Taoiseach and Finance. Some of the recommendations, particularly those in relation to recruitment and the terms and conditions of employment of civil servants, require the enactment of new or amending legislation. The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003, which was published last December, has reached Fourth Stage in the Dáil. Legislation to amend the Civil Service Regulation Acts is being drafted at present and is expected to be published shortly.
The new social partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress, provides for the implementation of many of the recommendations contained in the PA Consulting report. Under the agreement, payment of both general round and benchmarking increases is dependent on verifiable progress by Departments and offices towards achieving certain specific objectives and targets. These are set out in departmental action plans approved by an independent Civil Service Performance Verification Group, CSPVG, which also monitor progress towards their achievement. The Department's first progress report was approved by the CSPVG in December of last year. Our second report was submitted to the CSPVG last month. The action plans and progress reports of all Departments and offices are published on the website of the Department of Finance.
Some of the more notable achievements of the Department of Foreign Affairs in implementing the modernisation programmes are set out as follows. A new human resource management, HRM, strategy has been put in place, providing the framework for the closer alignment of HRM policies and practices with the Department's business needs. A new promotion policy has recently been implemented, involving a shift towards more competitive, merit-based promotions, and a new training and development strategy has been developed. An integrated business planning process has been introduced, aligning individual performance with the achievement of divisional objectives and overall departmental policy goals. Improvements to visa services have been put in place including the establishment of a "one stop shop" at Burgh Quay last year, which now houses the Visa Office, the Immigration and Citizenship Division of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Garda National Immigration Bureau. Implementation of the new management information framework (MIF) commenced in January and has been substantially completed. The new system is far more efficient in terms of account processing facilities and has provided the capability to cost and monitor performance against objectives within the various areas of the Department. The Department's information and communications technology infrastructure has been significantly improved on a worldwide basis with the provision of a new e-mail system and the re-design and expansion of the Department's website. Further improvements are ongoing, including the development of an intranet site. The Department is currently engaged in a major project to improve the passport issuing system by upgrading the technologies to the most modern available. Among the benefits the new system will bring are enhanced customer service, a significant reduction in the potential for fraud and forgery and increased efficiency and effectiveness.
