Mattie McGrath
Ceist:4. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the areas of reform his Department is prioritising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21978/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 17 May 2018
Ceisteanna (4)
Freagraí ó Béal (16 píosaí cainte)
This is to ask the Minister the position on his Department prioritising cost saving initiatives in the interests of better financial prudence and scarce resources being spent wisely.
In December 2017 I launched Our Public Service 2020, the new framework for development and innovation in the public service. The new reform framework focuses on supporting sustainable, continuous progress across the public service. Our Public Service 2020 has three priority pillars: delivering for the public, innovating for our future and developing people and organisations. There are 18 actions which include new initiatives and actions focused on building on reforms already in place. We are also moving the focus of reform to achieving outcomes that will have a positive impact on the public. With this goal in mind, my Department has established a reform evaluation unit to focus on monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of reform, as well as creating greater links between expenditure and reform.
A strengthened model of governance is being put in place to oversee implementation of the actions in Our Public Service 2020 with the establishment of a new public service leadership board. The board includes Secretary General-CEO level participation drawn from the Civil Service and a broad range of public service organisations.
In the Civil Service the next phase of implementation of renewal will aim to deepen and embed renewal and also consolidate and implement current programmes. Other priority actions for 2018 include work to strengthen policy making; improve the delivery of shared whole-of-government projects; and support the development of a national data infrastructure.
The Government continues to pursue a legislative agenda in this area. The Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, is working on the Public Sector Standards Bill and the data sharing and governance Bill.
My Department is also leading on Ireland's open data initiative, which is a key part of the public service reform agenda. We want to be a leader in open data and create an environment in which the economic, social and democratic benefits of open data are recognised and realised.
The public service performance report for 2017 states the aim is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public expenditure by linking the funding of public sector organisations to the results they deliver. That is vital. It is a very useful exercise and one we all support in terms of promoting positive reform. In the section of the report dealing with local authority funding for housing from the Department, it is stated that €387.7 million was provided. In addition, €98.3 million was provided through the local property tax. It is stated self-funding was used by local authorities to support the delivery of housing problems. What has been delivered despite all the expenditure? I suggest there was very little.
As noted, the purpose of the public service performance exercise was to determine how we can improve the effectiveness of the delivery of services. As far as I can see, no progress has been made in this area. While the reviews and practices continue aplenty, there is nothing happening on the ground. That is the problem. It is blatantly obvious in housing in that we are not getting housing delivered in Tipperary or anywhere else.
The Deputy is wrong on that. We are increasing resources for local authorities to ensure public housing commitments can be delivered upon. We expect local authorities to deliver on housing targets with the resources that have been made available to them.
The Deputy referred to Tipperary, which he knows far better than I do. If I look to progress made in Dublin, I note that only yesterday we were able to confirm that the first phase of the long-promised project at O'Devaney Gardens, a huge public housing project, will be under way very soon. I have seen many such examples throughout the country. It is an essential element of how we have to respond to all the considerable housing challenges we face.
I did not say the Government was not giving enough money. It is giving plenty of money and there have been plenty of reviews, but nothing is being delivered. While the reviews and practices continue aplenty in the Department, nothing seems to change. There are poor outcomes. That is what I said. I did not say the Government was not giving the money. The houses are not being built. The authorities are saying they are not getting the money. The Minister met our county manager, Mr. Joe McGrath, recently and I hope he asked about this. Eleven houses were built in Tipperary in five and a half years. It beggars belief so far into the housing crisis. We were able to build hundreds of houses back in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. What has gone wrong? There have been reviews and reports, reports and reviews, consultants and tenders moving the whole thing around. At least Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, goes out on the ground and demands to see what has been done. He questions the Office of Public Works, OPW, on value for money. It is all money and nothing being delivered. There has been review after review. The Government keeps throwing the same thing at the problem and does not seem to learn. No wonder we have crises in health and every other area. The Government is inept at running Departments.
We have had a very significant development that Deputy Mattie McGrath has confirmed and acknowledged, namely, that we have increased resources for housing.
I did not say the Government had not.
It is great to see that acknowledgement here today.
What good is money if one cannot build anything?
When I was in Tipperary, I met the local authority representatives that afternoon. It was at the end of a very positive day.
Positive? In the Minister's mind.
I could see many different businesses and people who were involved in-----
Campaigning.
Please, let us be orderly.
-----the community and economy in Tipperary. They were pointing to the progress that is being made. When I met the chief executive of the local authority, he pointed to the fact that not enough housing had been delivered, as the Deputy rightly said. He also took me through the plans funded by the Government to increase local housing supply, however. We want to and will ensure local authorities are accountable for delivering more homes with the higher level of resources that the Deputy has acknowledged here today.
No homes to be found.