Desmond J. O'Malley
Ceist:72 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to establish the Social Welfare Services Office as an autonomous executive agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18604/96]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Services Office.
The restructuring of my Department into two separate areas was undertaken in 1985. One area is responsible for advising the Minister on policy issues. The other, known as Social Welfare Services (SWS) is concerned solely with executive work and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the schemes and services of my Department. The main objective of the restructuring was to enable those concerned with the operation of the various schemes to concentrate more fully on effective management and the provision of an efficient and speedy delivery of services.
The matter of how my Department is organised is being addressed within the context of the strategic management initiative (SMI). The SMI process to date has involved looking at the business we are in, setting goals and objectives and agreeing the content of our priority action programmes. We have at this stage agreed a strategic framework within which the future development and improvement of our services can take place in a manner that will be relevant and responsive to the needs of our customers and provide value for money to the taxpayer. The future direction will involve, among other things, consideration of a more integrated approach to the delivery of social services at the local level.
The suitability of the present structure of my Department to deliver on our agreed strategy is being reviewed on a number of fronts. Part of this review, in line with the Delivering Better Government initiative, will involve consideration of the appropriateness and feasibility of a move towards establishing Social Welfare Services on a more autonomous footing.