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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 2002

Vol. 556 No. 3

Written Answers. - Performance Indicators.

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

741 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the key performance indicators being made by her Department; the performance in respect of these for the past five years; and if a commentary is published on these performance indicators taking them to objectives and activities. [20320/02]

The Public Service Management Act, 1997, requires each Government Department/ office to produce a statement of strategy which outlines the organisation's key objectives and performance indicators relating to the achievement of those objectives. The most recent such statement produced by this Department covers the period 2001-04. This statement is currently being revised in the light of the recent change of Government. In addition, the Department has also published a customer action plan and an internal customer service plan, both of which set out specific targets in relation to the provision of service to customers of the Department (both external and internal) over the three year period, 2001-4. Business plans are produced annually by the Department and contain specific targets for each business area to achieve in the year.

These commitments are based on the content and direction of the strategy statement and customer action plans and are monitored on a regular basis. Progress in relation to the achievement of the Department's strategies is also outlined in the annual report of the Department. My Department has also set service standards which are monitored on a monthly basis and include indicators on claim processing, customer satisfaction and control.
Under the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF) and as part of the ongoing Civil Service modernisation programme, all Government Departments/offices were required to prepare and submit a set of performance indicators to the Civil Service quality assurance group which was established to evaluate and monitor the performance of each Department and office. My Department developed over 40 such indicators across the whole range of Department activities as reflected in the strategy statement.
The quality assurance group has recently acknowledged the progress achieved by my Department and recognised specifically the significant work done by the Department in relation to improving the delivery of customer services. My Department has actively pursued the implementation of the strategic management process and, as recognised by the quality assurance group, has developed an excellent reputation for providing a high quality service to customers. I am determined that we will build on the substantial progress made to date and my Department has committed itself to improving continuously its services delivery and the management of performance. In this regard, and in accordance with the provisions of the PMDS, a new strategy statement, covering the period 2003-05, falls to be prepared by next month. Performance indicators to be included in future business plans will be drawn up in line with this new statement.

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

742 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the key performance indicators of the agencies which her Department funds; the performance in respect of these for the past five years; and if these agencies publish a commentary on these performance indicators linking them to objectives and activities. [20335/02]

The agencies for which my Department is responsible are the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Pensions Board and the Family Support Agency.

The current strategic plan of the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) contains five strategic objectives for 2002 to 2004, which are in accordance with the agency's statutory functions. The plan also contains a range of goals and actions based on the strategic objectives. In delivering these objectives, the performance of the CPA will be measured through a set of key performance indicators in addition to more detailed indicators contained in lower level annual work plans. There will also be an overall evaluation of the agency's performance under the plan. The following are significant indicators which relate to the strategic objectives of CPA's plan: provide a baseline measure of the extent of poverty among groups not included in national surveys and identify indi cators which will measure improvements in their living conditions; produce research publications on the emerging causes of poverty; publish and promote research on the costs of child rearing; commission, publish and promote the key lessons from an evaluation of the local government anti-poverty learning network; produce a series of analyses to support the implementation of the national anti-poverty strategy; publish and promote a study on social expenditure; enhance social inclusion indicators included in the regional and peace II programmes; publish and promote research and resource materials on the role of community development in tackling poverty; and publish and promote a research study on combating food poverty.
A copy of the CPA's strategic plan for 2002 to 2004, containing full details of the CPA's key performance indicators, will be forwarded to the Deputy. Previous strategic plans included strategic objectives and a range of related goals and actions but did not include formal key performance indicators. However, the agency publishes an annual report which sets out its work under each objective. In addition, the impact of each plan was independently evaluated and the findings informed the development of each subsequent plan.
Comhairle was established in June 2000 and had its first strategy plan approved by my predecessor in July 2001. The strategy identifies a number of strategic priority objectives as listed below. Each of these objectives identifies two to three key performance indicators: information content – to ensure that information produced by Comhairle is of a high quality, timely, accurate and relevant; delivery of information, advice and advocacy – to ensure that information and advice services offered are of a high quality, accurate, comprehensive, understandable and customer focused to assist people with particular needs to secure their entitlements to social services; social policy – to identify and bring to the attention of the relevant authorities the feedback of citizens and information providers in relation to the operation of social services; voluntary sector – to assist and promote the development of the voluntary sector in relation to social and civil services; promoting equality of access – to promote equality of access in relation to civil and social services. A strategy implementation plan was completed in January 2002 and provides a detailed strategy implementation framework and details key activities, tasks and timeframes. Implementation plan performance is formally reviewed on a half-yearly basis by Comhairle's management team.
The current strategic plan of the Pensions Board contains strategic objectives for 2002-05, which are in accordance with the board's statutory functions. The main priorities in the plan are implementation of the national pensions policy initiative (NPPI), effective regulation, policy development, pensions coverage development and maximising role and resources. The plan also contains a range of actions to lead to the achievement of the strategic objectives. In delivering the objectives, the performance of the board will be measured through a set of key performance indi cators, of which a total of 85 have been identified to date, in addition to more detailed indicators contained in lower level annual work plans. The board also publishes an annual report which sets out its work under each objective of the plan.
With regard to the Family Support Agency, members of the board have been appointed and it is my intention to formally establish the agency shortly. Under the provisions of the Family Support Agency Act, 2001, the agency will, within six months, be required to draw up a strategic plan which, in line with best practice in the public service, will comprise its key objectives, outputs and related strategies.
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