I thank the Chairman and the committee for receiving the Estimates for the Department of the Taoiseach and associated offices for 2003. In presenting these Estimates today, I am aware that the overall provision for my Department for 2003 represents a substantial reduction on its 2002 level. Nevertheless, I welcome the provision of a level of funding which, I am satisfied, will allow my Department to continue with the range of activities it undertakes, reflecting the central role it plays in advancing the priorities of Government. I strongly believe these activities and services can continue to be provided, even with a tighter budget, through the achievement of greater efficiencies and better value for money in the administration of the Department and the services that it provides. This is something my Department is working very hard to achieve.
I will outline the key objectives and projects, which will be progressed in the current year. I am grateful to Members on both sides of the House for their consistent support for the peace process and our efforts to secure the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. I share the general sense of regret and disappointment that we have not succeeded yet in achieving the progress required to underpin the Agreement and secure the stability of the devolved Institutions in Northern Ireland. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Cowen, and I have had the opportunity recently to address the Dáil on developments generally and I do not propose to go over the same ground again. When we met at Farmleigh on 6 May, the Prime Minister Mr. Blair and I agreed that, other than those aspects explicitly linked to acts of completion by others, both Governments should implement the commitments in the joint declaration. The recent meeting of the British-Irish intergovernmental conference was largely devoted to the implementation of the Joint Declaration and that work will be advanced as quickly as possible.
As I did in the House this morning, I congratulate Mr. David Trimble on his achievement on winning the vote at the Ulster Unionist Council meeting on Monday night and I look forward to continuing to work with him and his colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party and all of the pro-Agreement parties, to ensure that the commitments and undertakings in the Agreement are fully implemented. We are facing into a difficult period. The marching season is commencing and it will be important for everyone and for all communities in Northern Ireland that we have peace on the streets and at the interface areas in particular. The postponement of elections drained the political process of a good deal of energy but it is important for us all to focus again and regain political momentum so that we can have a positive context for an election, which I hope will take place in the autumn.
A number of provisions in the Department's Vote continue to play an important supporting role in the context of Northern Ireland. In November 2002, the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, which had not met since December 1997, was reconvened in response to a number of requests from political parties, both south and north. It was felt that, in the circumstances prevailing last autumn following suspension of the Northern Ireland institutions, the Forum could play a useful role, complementary to talks involving the two Governments and the pro-Agreement parties. Four meetings of the Forum, including three in public session, have taken place and have played a positive and constructive role in helping to build confidence and trust, both among the parties participating in the Forum and among the wider public in both parts of this island.
On commemorations and reconciliation initiatives the Estimate for subhead E is €63,000. This was used mainly for the Robert Emmet Association's bicentennial anniversary programme and several smaller initiatives. The provision of €416,000 in subhead L will enable the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings to complete its work and I dealt with that extensively during Question Time yesterday.
The European and international affairs division of my Department supports me in my role as a member of the European Council and as Head of Government, dealing with Ireland's role in European and international affairs. The division works in close collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and with other Departments to promote our interests in EU and international policy formulation. Co-ordinating a successful input to, and outcome from, Ireland's Presidency of the European Union next year will be the central priority area for the division for the year ahead. The Department is working closely with other Departments to ensure we effectively chair and progress the wide range of issues on the European agenda. Of critical importance will be to secure a successful outcome, from our perspective, to the Intergovernmental Conference, which is likely to conclude during our Presidency. That will finalise the text of the next European treaty, based on the report and draft European constitution which I hope, will be finalised tomorrow in Thessaloniki at the Greek European Council meeting.
Since October 2001, the National Forum on Europe has established itself as an independent space where public representatives and civil society can exchange views on the future of Europe with the Irish representatives at the Convention on the Future of Europe. Its policy of holding regular regional meetings has provided the public with an opportunity to express its views and to raise issues of concern. A very wide range of topics has been covered in terms of the impact of enlargement, our relationship with the European Union and the areas of concern to our national interests, and how we, as one of the smaller member states, wish to see an enlarged Union develop in the future. The work of the Forum continues to promote debate on the work of the Convention, clarifying issues and communicating with the public. The Forum has encouraged full participation by all interested parties and organisations involved in European affairs and has promoted a wider public debate and a clearer understanding of the key issues involved in that debate.
My Department plays a key role in the formulation of national economic and social policy and providing advice to me in my role as Taoiseach and to the Government. The Department chaired the negotiations on the successor agreement to the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, which concluded in February 2003. All four social partner pillars have formally ratified the new agreement. My Department will contribute to the effective management, monitoring and overseeing of the implementation of the agreement. The Department is also working to support partnership in the public and private sectors, aimed at modernising the workplace and improving performance and service delivery. The National Economic and Social Council provides advice to the Government on the development of the economy and the achievement of social goals. The council continues to be at the forefront of identifying and analysing strategic policy issues and is committed to high quality research analysis. The strategy document it produced in 2002 provided a significant input into the partnership negotiations leading up to Sustaining Progress. There is provision for €697,000 in the 2003 Estimates to fund the council's activities.
The National Economic and Social Forum has a particular mandate to monitor and analyse the implementation of specific measures and programmes identified in the context of social partnership arrangements, especially those concerned with the achievement of equality and social inclusion. That focus has resulted in a number of publications that contribute - and, moreover, add value - to our approach in addressing those areas. The mandate of the forum has been recently been extended to facilitate public consultation. NESF, with its four strands of Oireachtas; employer, trade unions and farm organisations; the community and voluntary sectors; and central, local government and independents, is uniquely placed to harness the views of a wide range of interests. A sum of €669,000 is provided for it in the Estimates for 2003.
The National Centre for Partnership and Performance will continue to focus on supporting change and improved performance, through partnership, in the workplace. One of the key issues facing us is how to modernise our workplaces to achieve high performance. The Government, employers and unions believe that co-operative working relationships are the key to managing change, achieving higher performance and a better workplace. In developing a vision of the high-performing workplace, the NCPP is preparing for the establishment of a forum on the workplace of the future. That forum will foster in-depth discussion on how workplaces can best adapt to competitive pressures, improve the delivery of services and respond to changing needs and preferences of employees. Provision of €860,000 has been made for the centre in the 2003 Estimates.
The National Economic and Social Development Office, NESDO, comprises the NESC, the NESF, and the NCPP. The National Economic and Social Development Office Bill, which is going through the House at the moment, will put those three bodies on a statutory basis as part of the new office. The primary role of NESDO is to add value to the work of its constituent bodies by creating the conditions under which synergies can be released, joint projects pursued and the potential for duplication minimised. The office promotes the development of a shared vision for realising those goals and will encourage the constituent bodies to maximise their impact through co-operation and co-ordinated effort. Through that process of co-operation, knowledge and ideas can be shared and complementary and joint programmes of research and analysis can be pursued. NESDO moved into new offices in December 2002, thus facilitating sharing of administrative and overhead expenses and thereby reducing costs. An amount of €641,000 has been provided in subhead M of this Department's Vote for the office in 2003.
I am also pleased to report continued good progress with implementation of the modernisation programme for the public service. In 2002, PA Consulting's evaluation of the strategic management initiative concluded that the Civil Service is better managed and more effective than it was a decade ago. In response to that report, the implementation group of Secretaries General is currently overseeing the drafting of a new vision statement, strategy and action plan for the Civil Service, which I expect to be published towards the end of this year.
Other initiatives to drive the process forward include the launch of customer charters as the next phase of the quality customer service initiative, a new communications strategy to inform civil servants better about the modernisation programme, the drafting of a national policy statement on better regulation, and progress on the development of a model of regulatory impact analysis which, it is hoped, will begin in pilot form in several Departments later this year. The inclusion in Sustaining Progress of a substantial range of initiatives to ensure the continued modernisation of the public service is an important development in driving forward the modernisation agenda.
The other relatively large allocation in the Estimates is €3.664 million to fund the ongoing work of the Moriarty tribunal. There is also a contingency provision of €251,000 for any outstanding legal costs that might fall due in respect of the McCracken tribunal. An allocation of €338,000 has been made for the All-Party Committee on the Constitution. The committee recently published its eighth report on government. It will continue its valuable work by focusing on the articles dealing with fundamental rights, including a study on the constitutional rights of people with disabilities.
The 2003 Estimate for the Office of the Attorney General is €13.949 million. That provides for the operating costs of the office. Subhead A5 includes funding for implementation of a new IT plan, which is currently under way in conjunction with the Chief State Solicitor's office and involves a number of major projects which will greatly increase the operational efficiency and effectiveness of those offices. A sum of €1.577 million is provided by way of grant in aid for the Law Reform Commission, whose second programme for law reform was launched in December 2001.
The Estimate for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is €29.393 million. The DPP's Vote provides for the salaries and expenses of the director and his staff, fees to counsel engaged by the director to prosecute cases in the various courts, and legal costs awarded against the State arising out of judicial review and other legal proceedings. Vote 18 provides for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. The Estimate for the year ending 31 December 2003 is €30.396 million. In addition to providing for the ongoing operations of the office, that provision includes funding for a number of major IT projects regarding implementation of the joint IT strategy, over a three-year investment plan, with the Office of the Attorney General. Provision is also made in subhead B for fees for counsel engaged in litigation on behalf of the Attorney General and in subhead D for general law expenses, which cover the legal costs awarded as a result of litigation and other administrative expenses arising.
I commend these Estimates to the committee and thank the its members for their attention and making time for us today. I would now like to hand over to Deputy Hanafin, who will make a statement on the Estimates for the information society and Central Statistics Office, for which she has ministerial responsibility.
