Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Over the past five years the Government has recruited almost 40,000 extra staff and paid around €1.3 billion through the benchmarking process. This includes the Department of the Taoiseach where, I understand, legal staff has doubled and communications staff has increased by 55%. The Taoiseach's Department will spend €143 million more this year than when he came to office and most of that is related to salaries.

The Taoiseach refers to real and verifiable outputs and suggests the basis for determining these lay in the action plans produced by each Department and assessed by the Civil Service performance verification group. Regarding benchmarking payments in the Taoiseach's Department, what were the three priority outputs that were to be achieved under the benchmarking programme? What are the three essential differences people can see in the Department relating to increased efficiency and better public service?

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