Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together.

I launched the Government statement on transforming public services on Wednesday, 26 November. In tandem with this statement, the report of the task force on the public service, the report of the organisational review programme and the Civil Service customer satisfaction survey 2008 were also published. The cost of the launch, exclusive of VAT, was €1,828, which includes the cost of catering and logistical arrangements on the day.

The Government statement represents a comprehensive package for the transformation of the public service. It is an ambitious three-year plan which we are determined to implement. The package is designed to address the immediate priority of securing maximum value for public spending, made all the more urgent by recent Exchequer figures, and laying the foundation for a complete overhaul of how the public service is managed and does its business, to ensure that it is efficient and effective in meeting the needs of citizens.

Last May, I appointed the task force on the public service to develop an action plan for the public service drawing on the analysis and recommendations of the OECD review of the public service which was launched in April. The specific terms of reference of the task force were to prepare for consideration by the Government a comprehensive framework for renewal of the public service, which took into account the analysis and conclusions of the OECD review, as well as the lessons to be drawn from the strategic management initiative, the organisational review programme and the efficiency review process, and to recommend, in particular, how best to secure an overarching policy for an integrated public service that enables increased flexibility, mobility and staff development and supports the competencies and practices necessary for new networked ways of working within and across the broader public service; and the basis for determining the contribution which a senior public service could make to an integrated and cohesive public service.

The task force was also asked to outline a set of criteria to inform the way in which the business of Government is structured and organised, with a strategy to enable necessary changes to be planned and implemented successfully; the benefits of the greater use of shared services across all sectors of the public service; and an appropriate framework for the establishment, operation and governance of State agencies. In addition, it was asked to develop a strategy by which e-Government delivers coherent and citizen-focused services and more closely supports greater efficiency in administrative processes; and an implementation plan specifying the tasks and responsibilities necessary for the successful implementation of the renewal agenda, including the ways in which the principle of partnership with public servants and their representatives will be applied.

The report of the task force, which has been adopted in full by the Government, sets out a challenging agenda for change in the public service. It recommends an integrated package of initiatives to be implemented over a three-year framework focused on the following: first, achieving improved performance by organisations and individuals within the public service; second, creating flexibility in the deployment of people, assets and other resources; third, identifying the precise transformation agenda in each sector of the public service and engaging and mobilising the necessary actors; and fourth, achieving greater efficiency, effectiveness and economy.

The report sets out an extensive list of recommendations, including prioritising and making more explicit the goals and targets of Government Departments and offices, communicating these targets to the public, developing output indicators so that the performance of individuals and organisations across the public service can be measured, greater involvement of the citizen in policy and service delivery issues, greater use of e-Government and shared services, managing the business of Government in new ways and developing leaders in the public service.

The work of the task force was extensive and included engaging with a number of key stakeholders concerned with the shape of the successful implementation of the renewal agenda. I want to put on the record of the House my appreciation for the work of the individual members of the task force. It was chaired by the Secretary General to the Government and my Department provided the secretariat.

My Department will continue to play a lead role in public service transformation as the actions outlined in the Government statement and the report of the task force are implemented. I will chair a new Cabinet committee on transforming public services and the programme office being established to support implementation will be based in my Department.

In response to Deputy Burton's question, I am aware that some media reports since the publication of the OECD report in April have contained a number of inaccuracies in regard to the process by which the OECD conducted its review. In this regard, I understand the OECD has already clarified the record and stated that throughout the review process it maintained its objectivity and independence.

The OECD is a sovereign organisation of member states and guards its independence. It was given a free hand in the conduct of this review and unlike the experience in other countries, Irish officials were not present at interviews and meetings undertaken by the OECD as part of the review. The Government did everything it could to encourage a bold approach by the OECD, including a major public consultation process whereby all 936 submissions were forwarded directly to the OECD.

The OECD study was a peer review process. We were reviewed by fellow OECD members and this involved extensive dialogue with and questioning of Irish officials by OECD staff and by a team of international experts drawn from the governments of five countries.

As a result of detailed analysis, the OECD report recommended that the capacity needs of the public service in terms of numbers and skills need to be re-examined. In this regard, the Minister for Finance has announced the establishment of a special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes. The purpose of the special group, which has commenced its work, is to review the scope for reducing or refocusing the existing range of expenditure programmes, to critically examine the numbers of public servants employed across all areas of the public service, to assess the scope for transferring staff to priority areas and for reducing numbers overall, including identifying surplus staff.

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