Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2022
318. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of times the Civil Service Accountability board met; the dates of these meetings; the reason the board has not met since 2016; the reason it ceased operations; if there was an announcement at the time in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8293/22]
View answerThe Independent Panel on Strengthening Civil Service Accountability and Performance made 10 recommendations in 2014. Recommendations 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 were included in the 2014 Civil Service Renewal Plan, including the establishment of an Accountability Board. The recommendations were subsequently implemented over the course of the 2014 Civil Service Renewal Plan. The Board comprised a mix of senior Government ministers, including the Taoiseach, senior civil servants and a number of external members selected following an expressions of interest process by the Public Appointments Service (PAS).
I understand that the Board met four times in total in Q2 and Q3 2015 and Q2 and Q4 2016 to carry out its terms of reference. Work on that Plan was completed with the publication of its fourth progress report which is available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/collection/8a4a55-civil-service-renewal-plan-progress-reports/#fourth-progress-report.
The successor to the 2014 Plan, Civil Service Renewal 2030, was published in May 2021 and the Civil Service Management Board (CSMB) has collective responsibility for driving the programme of Civil Service Renewal.
