Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Taoiseach mentioned in his first reply to Deputy Kenny that the quality customer service, QCS, research group has been carrying out some survey work on customer satisfaction and public attitudes towards the Civil Service and public service. Will the Taoiseach indicate to the House what kind of conclusions have been reached in this research work, whether there are any headline results that he can share with us, or if he has any plans to publish the research findings that have been made?

I notice the Taoiseach put some emphasis on the development of customer charters etc. I put it to the Taoiseach that the whole process of reform in the public service and Civil Service is being so formalised that it is becoming an institutional problem in its own right. The more we move into customer charters, the more we develop a practice of box-ticking. While I welcome the Taoiseach's comments on the development of a system of awards, we need to develop an approach to the public service based on encouraging problem-solving and a break-out from the cautious culture innate to all large organisations, which we continue to have.

In that regard, as we move further into the area of e-Government, on-line services and so on, is there not a danger that the public service and those working in it will become more inaccessible to the public? When one goes on-line, one does not see or hear anybody. This is fine for doing business but when one tries to make a telephone call on foot of such business, one must select from many options and press different buttons. Is there any chance that members of the public would have an element of access to those making decisions in order that the different, very discrete services which can be provided on-line would be joined up and explained to them?

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