Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 February 2004
87 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the main features of the Civil Service action plan to meet the requirements of the benchmarking process within her own Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3886/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department's modernisation and change agenda is aimed at improving the services this Department gives to its customers and to Government and at ensuring that its staff are supported and equipped in the delivery of this objective.
The Department's modernisation action plan contains some 100 commitments that make up a challenging agenda for the Department over the course of Sustaining Progress. The plan is available on the website of the Department of Finance and I am also arranging for a copy to be sent to the Deputy.
While the plan must be considered in its totality, five key priority areas have been identified. These involve the increased use of new technology to deliver better service; greater flexibility in the way services are delivered; implementation of a new control programme; a range of changes in human resources, in particular in the area of promotions; and the development of improved financial management and information systems.
Priorities under the heading of new technology include the development of a new generation of IT systems to facilitate better customer service and support the Government's strategy for electronic service delivery generally. This includes developments related to the civil registration modernisation programme and the introduction of the public service broker. The Department is also developing a new service delivery model for the delivery of social welfare payments.
In the area of flexibility, there are a number of proposals to improve the processes of delivering services at local level, the key element being the localisation of the one parent family payment scheme which is currently administered from the pensions services office in Sligo. This initiative will result in a better, more personalised service to the customer, faster decision making, readier access to local employment and other support programmes and an enhanced control focus. In the area of control generally, we plan to introduce greater emphasis on risk assessment and risk management in order to provide for a more effective and efficient use of resources in the control area.
A number of developments in the Department's human resources strategy are reflected in the action plan. A key priority is to move towards a higher proportion of competition-based promotions and the adoption of best practice in this regard.
In the area of financial management, the Civil Service management information framework, MIF, project aims at ensuring better decision-making about allocation of resources, better management of resources once allocated and greater transparency and accountability for the use of resources. My Department has a detailed programme of activity scheduled in this area over the course of the period covered by Sustaining Progress.
Last October, the Department submitted its first progress report on the plan to the Civil Service performance verification group. Overall, the verification group welcomed what had been achieved. The group noted, in particular, the strong commitment to the programme of expenditure reviews, the improvement in efficiency in 2003 as compared with 2002, the actions taken to improve flexibility and the successful implementation of developments in the area of e-Government
The second phase of the verification process is now commencing and my Department will be updating the group on its continued progress in meeting its commitments under the plan. I am confident it will continue to make progress in delivering an enhanced service to all its customers.
