Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

This is being driven by an implementation body which has arranged to obtain from the various Departments, agencies and offices action plans for the purposes of proceeding to implementation in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, significant work on the transformation programme is ongoing in all sectors and savings continue to be delivered against a background of falling numbers. I am confident that the implementation of these action plans will deliver the type of changes which are required to secure cost savings, minimise the impacts of current resource constraints on service quality and availability, and improve services through the use of technology and other means. It is true to say also that in the context of Estimates decisions that are being made, and where resources will be allocated, these changes will become clearly required and the implementation body is facilitating that engagement.

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