Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2017
74. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on whether further reform or policy initiatives are now required to maintain a stable path towards economic recovery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47555/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra75. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which reform is likely to remain a key element in managing costs throughout the public sector in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47556/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 75 together.
Public Service Reform was a central element of the response to the challenges of recent years and remains an essential part of building for the future. We must build on progress made in recent years and maintain and renew our focus on Public Service Reform. It is essential that targeted recruitment and investment in public services is done in tandem with further Public Service reform measures, not least as current and future demographic trends will continue to place demands on public service delivery.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is currently developing a new phase of public service reform plan called Our Public Service 2020 which is expected to be published by the end of the year. It will set out a series of actions to be delivered out to 2020 and beyond which will both build on the achievements of the last six years and respond to new challenges.
Our Public Service 2020 aims to deliver better outcomes for the public, to support innovation and collaboration and to build public service organisations that are resilient and agile. The framework is built on three key pillars.
- Delivering for our public
- Innovating for our future
- Developing our people and organisations
The new reform plan also aims to strongly link expenditure with reform. This is to ensure that real reform is delivered and that there is a continued emphasis on ensuring value for money principles are adhered to across the public service.
Ensuring value for the tax payer is an important element of managing the costs of public services and maintaining stable public finances. In July this year I published the output of the spending review. The papers prepared for the Spending Review cover a wide range of policy areas and account for a significant proportion of current expenditure. In total, 21 papers have been produced by officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and other Departments. In addition, an analysis of expenditure trends in key sectors was also published. This was the first in a planned series of 'rolling' selective reviews that will take place each year to 2019.
The aim of the Spending Review process is to examine existing spending by reference to the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact. This approach allows for systematic examination of existing spending programmes to assess their effectiveness in meeting policy and reform objectives and also to identify scope for re-allocating funding to meet both expenditure and reform priorities.
In this way, we can ensure that we achieve real reform across the public service and that value for money is achieved for every euro of public funding spent.
