Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

At the request of the Department of Health and Children, a review of the Department was carried out last year under the organisational review programme, ORP. The report of this review was received approximately four weeks ago and the Department is now preparing an action plan which will set out its response to the ORP conclusions. The report and action plan will be published in due course along with similar reports and action plans for other Government offices and Departments, following submission to the Government.

The ORP is a public service modernisation initiative under the auspices of the Department of the Taoiseach. It involves assessing the capacity of individual Departments and major Government offices to meet their challenges over the coming years. It is essentially a management tool which can be used by Departments to help them improve their performance.

While it would be inappropriate to comment on the report in advance of its consideration by Government and publication, the Department has already made it clear that it welcomes this report and is satisfied that it provides a timely and helpful review. The report acknowledges the Department's strengths and achievements including, in particular, the ability and commitment of its staff in dealing with a difficult agenda.

It also identifies areas which require improvement, including the need to clarify its roles and responsibilities particularly vis-À-vis the HSE; manage delivery by its agencies through stronger goal setting, output and outcome measurement and performance management; define its customers and stakeholders more clearly and align itself to serving these appropriately; and improve its human resource capacities.

I am confident the Department will respond effectively to the ORP report and will use it as intended, to build on its undoubted strengths and to further improve its performance in these changing and challenging times.

See this speech in context