Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 September 2014
96. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if a skills audit has been carried out in the public and Civil Service considering the public concern that the public service is not using the skills and talents of its workforce and is instead continuously wasting taxpayers' money on consultants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35047/14]
View answerWorkforce Planning was launched within the Civil Service in November 2011 and is included in the Government's Public Service Reform Plan 2014-2016. The key principle of workforce planning is having the right number of people with the right skills in the right jobs at the right time.
Workforce planning requires organisations to focus on the range of skills they need to deliver on their objectives and to identify emerging skills gaps, whether arising from staff turnover or from changes in the external environment which may require new skillsets. Organisations also need to identify key skill requirements at management level including leadership, change management, and business process improvement. The outputs of this process are used to identify learning and development needs and to plan for required recruitment competitions. Maximising the performance and potential of all staff in the Civil Service is a key issue being addressed as part of the Civil Service renewal process.
The use of consultants by public bodies is subject to strict value for money requirements. All public bodies are responsible for the appointment and the performance of consultants in line with relevant value for money requirements.
