Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the specific initiative he will take as a result of his meeting with the Croke Park agreement implementation group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18838/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Taoiseach and I met with the Implementation Body for the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 on 29th June last. We had a constructive engagement on the key issues relating to driving the reform agenda across the public service. While we welcomed the tangible progress that has been made in the first year of the Agreement, as outlined in the Body's first progress report published on 15th June last, we were clear that there has to be an acceleration of progress over the coming months. We emphasized the need to build on the flexibilities already agreed to in the Croke Park Agreement. We also made it clear that the Government wishes to honour the commitments given in the Agreement. However, this will only be possible if the Agreement is implemented in full.

On foot of our interaction, the Implementation Body has, over recent weeks, undertaken a series of meetings with senior managements from the key sectors of the public service. The purpose of these meetings has been to consider how progress can be accelerated on implementing sectoral Action Plans and how to ensure that priority measures are delivered on over the remainder of 2011, in light of the challenges ahead.

I will continue to monitor developments closely and, in that regard, I look forward to the outcome of the second phase of progress reporting on the implementation of the Action Plans under the Croke Park Agreement which is underway at present. Sectors are due to submit updated progress reports to the Implementation Body during October. It is expected that Action Plans will need to be revisited later in the year when decisions have been taken by Government on the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure.