Written Answers Nos. 136-145
139. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which reform continues to be a part of the vision for his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22337/23]
View answer141. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which reforms remain constant and effective in the delivery of his Department's mission statement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22339/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 141 together.
My Department's mission is to serve the public interest through sound governance of public expenditure and by leading and enabling reform across the Civil and Public Service.
Since its establishment my Department has led on and introduced a range of reforms including:
• expenditure reforms and innovations in policy-making to support the management of expenditure at sustainable levels in a planned, rational and balanced manner to support Ireland’s economic development and social progress;
• digital transformation of our public services;
• a legislative programme to enhance trust and transparency across government;
• better data sharing and management to inform policy and service delivery;
• the delivery of relevant, high quality Open Data, that is accessible to all;
• successive Civil Service Renewal and Public Service reform programmes which have been aimed at improving how the Civil and Public Services deliver their functions and services, HR changes to support better performance, learning and development, embedding innovation and new ways of working; and
• the establishment of structures such as the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) and the Office for Government Procurement to secure efficiencies.
The Deputy may wish to note other recent initiatives. In March, I secured government approval for a package of significant actions to enhance delivery of the National Development Plan. These changes will reduce the administrative burden in delivering major capital projects. Actions include, replacing the Public Spending Code with a set of Infrastructure Guidelines to allow non-major projects to proceed through the appraisal and evaluation process more speedily than those of greater scale and complexity; and reforms to the Capital Works Management Framework.
Last week, I launched Better Public Services, a new strategy for public service transformation to 2030, which is aimed at delivering for the public and building trust. The vision set out in the strategy is for ‘Inclusive, high quality and integrated Public Service provision that meets the needs, and improves the lives, of the people of Ireland’. The strategy, which is available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/publication/80247-better-public-services-public-service-transformation-2030-strategy/, aligns with Civil Service Renewal 2030 and is framed around three themes; Digital and Innovation at Scale, Workforce and Organisation of the Future and Evidence-informed policy and services designed for and with our public. The strategy will support each sector of the Public Service to achieve their own sectoral level reform programmes and help the Public Service play its part in meeting the challenges we face.
My Department is leading an initiative to support public service organisations to use design to deliver high quality services which are accessible, inclusive and sustainable. Design Principles for the Irish Public Service were launched in October 2022. The next phase of this initiative will produce an Action Plan to embed design in public service organisations.
Furthermore, in line with a Programme for Government commitment, officials are working with Civil Society representatives to craft Ireland’s Fourth National Action Plan under the Open Government Partnership, a multilateral initiative currently comprising 76 countries worldwide with the objective of enhancing transparency, accountability and public participation in government.
Additionally, my Department is also currently developing a new Open Data strategy which will aim to continue to strengthen our networks and improve communications between data publishers and users to ensure the transparency, quality and relevance of open data.
My Department continues to promote evidence-informed policy making across Government. The Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) is a cross-departmental service organised from my Department. In 2022, IGEES staff carried out a significant volume of analysis including the production and publication of 20 Spending Review papers.
Officials in my Department continue to promote the highest standards of transparency and accountability through Government reform. The recently enacted Protected Disclosures Act 2022 creates improved reporting channels and procedures for individuals who wish to raise concerns about potential wrongdoing.
Procurement reform remains a key priority. The recently issued Circular 05/2023 advances further initiatives to support small and medium enterprises in competing for Government contracts. The Office for Government Procurement is currently in the process of launching a new eTenders platform to further support digital procurement and a programme of training for buyers and suppliers is on using this system currently underway.
The digital agenda also plays an important role in ongoing reform. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer continues to advance reform initiatives including building public trust through the effective operation of the Data Governance Board, expanding internal services through the Build to Share suite of applications, supporting public engagement through ongoing development of the gov.ie platform, and leading on initiatives such as the national low latency platform.
142. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which FEMPI has been resolved to the satisfaction of those previously impacted by various cuts in expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22340/23]
View answerThe process of unwinding the Financial Emergency (FEMPI) legislation commenced under the Lansdowne Road Agreement 2016-2018, with the remainder of the process continuing under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA) and ‘Building Momentum: A New Public Service Agreement, 2021-2022’. Each year, under the terms of the FEMPI Act 2013, I am obliged to carry out an annual review of the operation, effectiveness and impact of the FEMPI Acts, having regard to the overall economic conditions in the State and national competitiveness. In this annual review, I am also to consider whether or not any of the provision of the relevant Acts continue to be necessary having regard to the purposes of those Acts, the revenues of the State and State commitments in respect of public service pay and pensions.The 2022 annual review, a written report of which was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 28 June 2022, recommended the continuation of the unwinding of the FEMPI measures in line with the provisions enacted in the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act, 2017. Since publication of the annual FEMPI report, in line with section 20 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017, public servants with annualised basic salaries above €150,000 were restored with effect from 1 July 2022, with the result that all public servants have had their salaries restored.
145. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which he and his Department continue to liaise with fellow Government Ministers with a view to delivering the absolute necessities in terms of road and rail transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22343/23]
View answerAs Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery & Reform, I am responsible for setting the overall multi-annual capital expenditure ceilings for each Ministerial Vote Group as set out in the National Development Plan and Project Ireland 2040, of which road and rail projects will play a vital role. My department liaises on a ongoing basis with the Department of Transport on these projects.
My Department is also responsible for maintaining the national frameworks within which Departments must operate to ensure that public funding is appropriately accounted for and that value for money for public expenditure is achieved. The Public Spending Code sets the value for money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing capital projects. Management and delivery of investment projects and public services within allocation and the national frameworks is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister.
My Department is not responsible for the sanctioning or approving of specific road and rail projects; this is matter for the Department and Minister for Transport.
