Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 May 2018
37. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to address the errors and inefficiencies in the PeoplePoint shared service system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21637/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraPeoplePoint is the Civil Service HR and pensions shared service centre – it is a processing centre for HR and pensions administration on behalf of 35,400 Civil Service customers. In 2017, PeoplePoint, now called HR Shared Services, completed in excess of 231,000 HR and pensions transactions and received over 86,000 calls and 4 million website visits. PeoplePoint applies Government HR and pension policies and procedures on behalf of its clients and all decision making remains with each Department or office. It started to provide services to a small number of Government Departments and offices in 2013, increasing this in phases over time, until it completed its establishment at the end of 2016.
The benefits of HR shared services have included the first ever online system for applying for annual leave and other forms of leave; a website providing all Civil Servants with easier and faster access to important information on entitlements and services; one set of standard HR processes, applied consistently, based on HR policy. These standard processes are eliminating local interpretation and thereby increasing fairness for everyone. The value of shared services is to standardise and optimise processes to improve service quality and to apply policy administration equally across the Civil Service whilst improving data accuracy and reporting.
A programme of continuous improvement is in place in PeoplePoint, seeking to increase efficiency and effectiveness, and includes; greater automation of business processes to reduce or eliminate errors or delay; a workflow management review and ongoing staff training and quality review programmes. A customer services group with representation from HR Managers from a number of Government Departments was also established in 2017 to support the effective delivery and future development of shared services and to ensure that the voice of the customer is fully considered. I am informed that the management team fully accepts that the service level is not yet where it needs to be to satisfy all users. As part of its continuous improvement initiatives, a major customer survey will be conducted this year to obtain full and objective information on satisfaction levels which will help to inform further targeted actions in order to achieve the highest service levels.
