Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 May 2018
79. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the role he expects for reform throughout the public sector to impact on economic performance in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21922/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe public service is central to economic and social life in Ireland. Significant reforms have been made in recent years and have made the work of the public service more transparent, decision-making more accountable and service delivery more effective and efficient. There has been much progress since the first reform programme was started in 2011, in areas including procurement, shared services and civil service renewal, and public service reform continues to play a key role in Ireland’s development.
Our Public Service 2020, which I launched last December, is a new policy framework designed to build on these previous reforms while expanding the scope of reform to focus more on collaboration, innovation and evaluation. I am confident that Our Public Service 2020 will contribute to the strengthening and further development of our economy over the period of its implementation.
A Public Service Leadership Board comprising Secretary General and CEO level participants from across the civil and public service has also been established to drive the reform agenda and lead on its implementation. This approach will support and enable public servants and their organisations to perform at their best and to work together to deliver high-quality, value-for-money outcomes that will benefit the economy.
As Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform I must ensure that our fiscal and public expenditure policy is prudent and sustainable. There are a number of budgetary reforms introduced in recent years to guide my decisions on overall fiscal policy in this regard, including fiscal rules, expenditure ceilings and spending reviews. The actions in Our Public Service 2020 will ensure that the focus of the public service is very much on delivery of quality public services, while operating within these prudent limits.
Our Public Service 2020 contains an added focus on evaluation and on the importance of building a reform evaluation culture. The newly established Reform Evaluation Unit will work closely with other units within my Department focusing on performance budgeting and spending reviews to strengthen the links between expenditure and reform. This will take place alongside the work of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) which leads a programme of evaluation of public service delivery across the public service. A series of rolling, selective reviews, which will cover the totality of Government spending over a three-year period to 2019, started in 2017.
