Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 February 2014
353. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will summarise the recommendations of the public service reform plan; the progress to date in delivering the previous reform plan; if he will identify areas that require particular focus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9429/14]
View answerOn 14 January, I published the Government's new Public Service Reform Plan 2014-2016. The new Plan outlines the key reform initiatives that will be implemented over the next three years. It also addresses the broader ambition for reform towards 2020. The four key themes running through this new Reform Plan are delivery of improved outcomes; utilisation of the reform dividend; digitalisation and open data; and openness and accountability.
While maintaining the drive for increased efficiency, this next phase of reform will have a greater focus on the delivery of improved outcomes for service users. This will include greater use of alternative models of service delivery, such as commissioning for specific outcomes, and service delivery improvements at sectoral and organisational levels.
As well as changing how we deliver public services, we will continue to focus on increasing efficiency and productivity. As efficiencies are realised through initiatives such as public procurement reform and shared services, some of the savings made will be re-invested in improved services. This "Reform Dividend" will serve to underpin and help sustain the reform agenda beyond the current fiscal crisis.
The Public Service must make maximum use of new technologies, digitalisation and open data to deliver services in innovative ways. A new Government ICT Strategy will be published later this year that will address the use of new and emerging technologies, ensuring that eGovernment is designed around real needs and taking steps to improve the take-up of 'digital government'. As part of this new strategy, we are capturing data on the top transactional services on which the citizen engages with the State, which will help inform what further services will be put online.
The new plan also places a focus on increased openness, transparency and accountability. Citizens must be able to clearly see that the Public Service is working fairly in its decision making, in implementing policy and in delivering public services. In this context, the political reform programme will deliver greater openness, transparency and accountability to strengthen trust in government and public services and strengthen public governance. A particularly important development is the recent publication of a consultation paper focused on options for strengthening Civil Service accountability and performance.
Last month, I also published a report setting out the considerable progress that has been made in reforming the Public Service since our first Reform Plan was published in 2011. To provide just some examples:
- We are implementing a radical overhaul of our approach to public procurement, with the new Office of Government Procurement targeting savings of €500 million over the next three years;
- Peoplepoint, the Civil Service wide Human Resources and Pensions Shared Services Centre, has been operational since March last year. It now services over 24,000 employees across 19 organisations. When it becomes fully operational in January 2015, it will provide services to 40 organisations with estimated savings of €12.5 million annually;
- An Action Plan to deliver efficiencies in the State's extensive property portfolio is currently being implemented;
- We have issued over 500,000 Public Services Cards. The Cards are currently being used for social welfare payments and the free travel scheme, and we are considering extension of the Card to cover a greater range of services;
- The Office of Government Chief Information Officer has been established within my Department to maximise the potential benefits of digitalisation in delivering services and information;
- The Government services portal - www.gov.ie - now includes quick links to more than 400 information and transaction services;
- A series of public expenditure reforms have been implemented to bring greater structure, scrutiny and openness to budgeting;
- We are making good progress in implementing our programme of political and legislative reform, aimed at enhancing openness, transparency and accountability; and
- The Haddington Road Agreement, which came into effect on 1 July, 2013, is a key enabler of the reform programme and will deliver an additional €1 billion reduction in the cost of the Public Service pay and pensions bill by 2016. The Agreement also provides for a total of 15 million additional working hours annually across all sectors of the Public Service.
The full Public Service Reform Plan 2014-2016 and the Progress Report can be seen at reformplan.per.gov.ie.
