Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The OECD report was published a year ago yesterday. It was five months yesterday since the task force on public service reform, which was set up on foot of that report, reported back to Government with its three-year comprehensive plan to reform our public service. The Taoiseach will recall the OECD report exposed a number of serious shortcomings in the way the Government has managed, or mismanaged depending on one's point of view, the public service in recent years. He will also recall there were six major findings in that report, namely, the collapse of value for money disciplines, the superficiality of the budget reforms, the damage done by an ill-thought out decentralisation programme, the habit of creating new agencies for every problem, the inability to deliver the ambitions of an e-enabled government and the refusal to tie pay increases in the public service to a tangible reform agenda. There have been numerous opportunities in the past to deal with a number of these findings but they have not been taken.

I remind the Taoiseach that following the publication of the task force on public service reform report, he said there was a need to move quickly and decisively, with which I agreed, and that his policy was for public bodies to embark on a major drive on e-government to allow 24-7 access to as many of the services as is possible. Has that gotten off the ground? How many facilities in Departments are available 24-7, which was the Taoiseach's priority? Is it not a fact that the strategy for e-government has only proceeded at a snail's pace and has not worked in the way envisaged in the first place? Is there a focus on this to give it additional facilities to make it work, which is the way things should be done?

The Taoiseach said at that time he would engage with public service unions to bring about change as speedily as possible. What negotiations has he had with the public service unions? What reform or increased efficiency has taken place following those meetings between him and the public service unions? Have agreements been reached between him and the public service unions following the meetings on greater efficiency and an opportunity for public servants to progress, be promoted and move to where their initiative takes them?

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