Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
239. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the degree to which reforms throughout the public sector remain in place to ensure accountability, collective responsibility and good value for money; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52562/23]
View answerMy Department works to serve the country, its people and the Government by delivering well managed and well-targeted public spending, delivered through modernised, effective and accountable public services. My Department develops major initiatives in collaboration with Government Departments and public service sectors and works to enable the delivery of sectoral reform priorities.
Examples of reforms developed by my Department since it was established in 2011 include those in relation to:
- Successive Civil and Public Service Reform Plans and Making Innovation Real the Public Service Innovation Strategy;
- Expenditure reforms and innovations in policy-making including the establishment of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES);
- Digital Government including the establishment of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and the infrastructure to provide online services;
- Shared services and procurement reform including the establishment of the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) for shared HR, pensions and payroll services and the Office for Government Procurement to lead procurement reform;
- HR professionalisation and OneLearning the shared learning and development centre and rules governing staff including the Civil Service People Strategy and revised Disciplinary Code;
- Initiatives to support better customer service and enhanced employee engagement and
- Legislative and policy reform to enhance trust and transparency across government including Regulation of Lobbying, Protective Disclosures, Freedom of Information legislation and well as delivering the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan with Civil Society, the development of the Open Data Strategy, the implementation of Data Governance legislation and the delivery of the biennial OECD Trust in Public Institutions Survey with CSO.
The current plans are ambitious and build on the achievements to date. In that context, the ten-year strategy for the Civil Service, Civil Service Renewal 2030 is built on three core themes – Digital First and Embedding Innovation; Workforce, Workplace and Organisation of the Future, and Evidence-Informed Policy and Services. The strategic priorities will be achieved through three-year Action Plans, the first of which is Civil Service Renewal 2024.
Connecting Government 2030: A Digital and ICT Strategy for Ireland’s Public Service sets out an approach to deliver digital government for all, benefitting both society and the broader economy. My Department recently hosted a public consultation process to help plan how we deliver improved digital public services.
Regarding overall reform, Better Public Services was published by my Department in May. This public service transformation strategy aims to deliver for the public and build trust through inclusive, high quality and integrated public service provision that meets the needs and improves the lives of the people of Ireland, including through a range of flagship projects.
In terms of collective responsibility for the implementation of reform, my Department chairs the Public Service Leadership Board, drawn from senior management in the Civil and Public Service, to ensure coherence of reform across the system. The Board will play a key role in leading the next phase of reform.
In regard to value for money, expenditure reviews have been a vital component of the public expenditure management framework. Since 2017 a total of 177 formal Spending Review papers have been published with more Departments routinely assessing key policies and programmes as part of the spending review processes.
As part of this broader approach to ensuring value for money, the introduction of shared services and centralised procurement in earlier phases of reform have been further integrated in public service operations and expanded into new areas. These expansions will continue and we are exploring new areas to further embed reforms that will enhance the cost-effectiveness of public services; for example, through leading or enabling digitalisation of key public services, automation, innovation, new ways of working and service design.
Finally, in regard to the Public Service Pay Agreement Building Momentum, the parties to the Agreement are committed to the ongoing reform and development of public services to meet the changing needs of citizens, communities, businesses and the staff who deliver public services.
