Vol. 548 No. 4
131 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the updated achievement of each target set for his Department under the strategic management initiative; if the targets in question are sufficiently measurable, quantifiable and focused on outcomes rather than activities to be an effective tool of real accountability; and if not, if he proposes to refine the targets. [5177/02]
As part of the strategic management initiative, the Secretary General of my Department is required to submit for my approval three-year statements of strategy and to prepare annual progress reports on achieving the strategic priorities and high-level objectives which they contain. The detailed elements of these statements are put in place through the Department's annual business cycle, and the resulting business plans or work programmes are monitored by the management advisory committee, which is chaired by the Secretary General. A full set of progress reports has been published for the 1998 to 2000 strategy, and the first progress report on the 2001 to 2003 statement of strategy will be published later this year. To date, I have been pleased with my Department's contribution to achieving this Government's social and economic objectives through the implementation of its statements of strategy.
A strategic priority of my Department is the enhanced management of the public service. Objectives under this strategy include the promotion and support of e-government; the implementation and development of the performance management and development system; the development of an enhanced financial management system in the Civil Service; and the preparation of legislation to support the public service modernisation programme. Again, progress under this strategic priority is monitored by the management advisory committee on an ongoing basis.
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness sets out objectives for the modernisation agenda in the Civil Service over the three year period to 2002. Section 1.4.1 of the PPF requires that each Department and office, through the partnership process established under partnership 2000, develop and agree performance indicators in relation to these objectives. Thus, the modernisation agenda is advanced through the participative structures of the departmental partnership committees and progress on the PPF objectives considered.
The Civil Service quality assurance group is an independent body established under the PPF to assess progress in achieving the objectives of the modernisation agenda. In line with all other Departments and offices, the Department of Finance has submitted its performance indicators for the PPF objectives to the Civil Service quality assurance group, and these have been considered by the group. My Department and all other Departments and offices will submit a report to the Civil Service quality assurance group after 1 April 2002, detailing progress in achieving its performance indicators. This group will then make an independent assessment of the Department's progress in meeting the PPF objectives for the modernisation agenda in the context of the final 4% payment under the PPF.
