Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 April 2014
18. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to ensure that voluntary retirement and targeted redundancy from the public service is managed in a manner that minimises disruption to service delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16778/14]
View answerThe new Public Service Reform Plan, which I launched in January, sets out ambitious goals for improving the quality and efficiency of public services between now and 2016. It envisages changes in the way public services are delivered, demands greater efficiency and calls for better use of technology and shared services.
Responsibility for making this happen lies with public service managers, who are expected to look at how their organisations function, identify ways in which they can be improved, and implement the necessary changes. This may involve automating what are currently manual back-office processes, or it may involve moving to online service provision. Of course, where change of this nature happens fewer people may be required, and often different skills sets are needed. In such cases, public service managers are able to offer voluntary redundancy to existing staff, where appropriate. In this way, voluntary redundancy can facilitate Departments and agencies in introducing streamlined and improved systems for providing public services.
To underscore this point, I wish to emphasise the following:
- Our approach to voluntary redundancy schemes is to allow public service organisations to use it on a targeted basis in different areas where it makes sense and can be shown to offer value for money in the long run;
- Voluntary redundancy is by definition not compulsory, and therefore people will only leave if that is what they want; equally there is no automatic right to redundancy. All applications are considered in the context of ongoing business needs and service provision priorities. It is at the discretion of management and would be one of a range of options for managers, to replace for example back-office processes or replace outdated skills.
