Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 February 2021
96. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the Department that has achieved most in terms of public expenditure and reform; the Departments that need to do better in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10898/21]
View answerThe Civil Service Renewal programme of reform, supporting the development of high performing Civil Service organisations, continues to be embedded. This programme is overseen by the Civil Service Management Board which focusses on driving whole-of-Government reform across the Civil Service, rather than at individual Departmental level.
The Civil Service Renewal Plan has delivered a range of significant transformations which have increased our capacity to respond to complex challenges.
Headline achievements include:
- The establishment of the Civil Service Management Board to provide strategic oversight for delivering the actions in the Civil Service Renewal Plan.
- The development of a wide range of initiatives to improve gender balance across the Civil Service within Departments and Offices.
- The establishment of a centralised Learning and Development service, ‘OneLearning’, to centrally operate and manage the delivery a new common suite of programmes.
- The development and implementation of Executive leadership programmes to enhance leadership capability at senior levels of the Civil Service.
- Strengthened professionalisation in the areas of HR and ICT and the introduction of ICT apprenticeships.
- The establishment of the Civil Service-wide mobility scheme to expand career and mobility opportunities for staff across geographic, organisational and sectoral boundaries.
- The introduction of a system of Organisational Capability Reviews to assess and strengthen the performance and capacity of Departments.
- The establishment of the Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey which asks civil servants for their views on working in the Civil Service, focusing on areas such as employee engagement, well-being, coping with change and commitment to the organisation.
My Department has published a series of progress reports which capture the achievements to date. They are available on my Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/8a4a55-civil-service-renewal-plan-progress-reports/#fourth-progress-report.
New challenges and opportunities have emerged at local and global levels since the inception of the last Civil Service Renewal Plan. We are currently developing an ambitious ten-year strategy and vision for the Civil Service to deliver an innovative, professional and agile Civil Service that strives to address the needs and demands of today, while setting out a blueprint for tomorrow.
Implementation of the wider public service reform programme, Our Public Service 2020, the framework for development and innovation for the public service to 2020 and beyond, is continuing. The First Progress Report on the framework was published in October 2019 and is available on my Department's website at https://www.ops2020.gov.ie/app/uploads/2019/10/OPS2020-First-Progress-Report_Web.pdf.
