Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

It is always a matter of judgment who is included on such bodies. I do not suggest that the task force has a monopoly of wisdom. Many of its members work in the front line of social partnership, while others have been involved in major change management within companies, do so regularly as part of their job or have an expertise in this area. The objective is to set out an implementation plan similar to that which followed from the Culleton report on industrial policy, where a task force was set up under Paddy Moriarty. We took a task oriented approach in that instance which allowed us get on with implementing what people were agreed should happen. Because of the broad and comprehensive nature of the report and how it interacts and suggests change on all fronts, one needs to devise an action plan as to how to go about it. Those who are on the task force are well qualified to do that job. That job is not completed when they bring forward a task force report. One then gets engaged in very detailed discussions and progress with others who are at the front line in the delivery of these services. It is not that it begins and ends by the end of summer. This is a process that will require a very dedicated approach over a period to bring about the changes. Everyone in social partnership is signed up to the 2016 document in which we are prepared to put the citizen at the centre of our concern, to see how we can build services around the citizen in the various life cycle approaches outlined in that report and move away from the traditional service provided model where the provider explains how the service is provided and the citizen has to try to fit into that model. We are saying we are prepared to deconstruct and reconstruct, where necessary, the provision of public services and have different models of public service delivery in an effort to improve how those services are being accessed by citizens and to use e-Government and other technology. There have been some good instances of the use of such technology in the public service. For example, the Revenue Commissioners have given an excellent example of what can be achieved by a good e-Government approach by transforming the relationship for the consumer in the important matter of tax compliance.

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