Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 November 2012
419. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the opportunities that persons in lower grades of the public service have been afforded in contributing to the reforms of the public service as sought in the public service agreement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50647/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFull implementation of my Department’s Action Plan under the Public Service Agreement involves major organisational change, including changes in structures, business processes, administrative, operating and governance systems, practices and procedures, supported by significant human resource and ICT changes. The specific changes include:
- The integration of the Community Welfare Service (CWS), FÁS Employment and Community Services and Social Welfare services within an expanded Department of Social Protection (DSP);
- The transfer of Redundancy and Insolvency Services (R&I) from the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation and the transfer of the Rural Social Scheme and the Social Inclusion from the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht;
- The development and piloting of new organisational structures and processes to deliver Intreo as part of the Pathways to Work initiative;
- The development and ongoing roll-out of the Public Services Card.
These changes involved the redeployment of c 2,000 staff and the integration of these staff into the organisation and grading structure of the Department.
All of these initiatives are being delivered with significant input from all of the Department’s staff and the trade unions that represent them, mainly through meetings at local and national levels. One initiative in particular that may be of interest to the Deputy involved a series of half-day meetings at locations throughout the State to which all staff were invited to hear a presentation by senior management, followed by an open discussion of any issues that staff wished to raise, either in response to the presentation or on any other topic of interest to them.
