Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the OECD review as a major contribution to the ongoing modernisation of the public service. When the Government initiated the OECD review, it requested that our public service be benchmarked against those of other comparable countries and that recommendations be made for the future direction of public service reform. We wanted to know how the decisions the Government is making are translating into services for the citizen and how this can be improved.

The OECD review includes many positive observations on the public service. It acknowledges the central role played by the public service in contributing to an economic success story that many OECD countries would like to emulate. It recognises we are on a sound trajectory of modernisation but argues that we could further improve the yield from reforms by renewing focus on their pace and sequencing to make them more mutually reinforcing.

I agree with the OECD that there is a compelling need to adopt a more citizen-centred approach. There must be an increased focus on service delivery over internal reforms and a shift in emphasis from organisational inputs to outcomes for the citizen. The modernisation process must deliver to the user results that are clear, useful and verifiable. We must have public services with citizens at the centre.

The Taoiseach recently announced the establishment of a task force to develop an action plan for the public service. This group has been asked to prepare a comprehensive framework for renewal of the public service which takes account of the analysis and conclusions of the OECD report, as well as the lessons to be drawn from the strategic management initiative, the organisational review programme and the efficiency review process. The task force has been asked to complete its work by the end of the summer. That work will inform the next phase of the modernisation process. I look forward to the report.

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