Richard Bruton
Question:106. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the innovations he plans for the upcoming statement of strategy of his Department. [36169/20]
View answerTuesday, 17 November 2020
Questions (106)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, there has been very significant reform and innovation in the Public Service since my Department was established in 2011 and published its first Public Service Reform Plan shortly thereafter. These changes continue to deliver improved services and cost effectiveness across a range of themes such as digital government, public procurement, shared services, HR and organisational reforms, public expenditure reforms and government reform.
The current framework for public service reform and innovation is Our Public Service 2020 (OPS 2020) which builds on earlier reforms and accelerates the digital delivery of public services, delivers better services to customers, drives innovation and develops our people and organisations. To complement this Public Service-wide initiative, the programme of reforms set out in the Civil Service Renewal Plan continues to be embedded in the Civil Service.
In the case of my own Department, internal and external consultation processes are currently ongoing in respect of the preparation of its Statement of Strategy for 2021-2023. Once finalised, it will serve as a framework for, and guide to, the business planning, resource allocation and risk management processes within the Department over the next three years. I can confirm that initiatives to enhance innovation and reform will continue to be pursued under this Statement of Strategy, including in the following key areas:
- The current Civil Service Renewal Programme is due to be refreshed in the coming months and innovation will form a central pillar in the next iteration;
- Work is expected to be completed in the coming months on refreshing and renewing “Our Public Service 2020”, which will be informed by the recently launched Public Service Innovation Strategy, “Making Innovation Real”;
- Further reforms will be undertaken in the area of public expenditure management and evidence based policy making;
- The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will continue to innovate and drive digital transformation across government; and
- The Office of Government Procurement will continue to pursue innovation in the procurement of goods and services.
Question No. 107 answered with Question No. 99.