Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 to 25, inclusive, together.

The main responsibility for the public service modernisation, development and reform functions is vested in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. An ongoing joint project between the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform is entitled "Strengthening Policy Development and Strategic Foresight". It was initiated to enhance overall policy development and strategic foresight capabilities across the Civil and Public Service.

Outputs under the project include an assessment report which examines the current state of policy development and elements of strategic foresight in the Irish Civil Service; workshops on how best to advance policy development and strategic foresight across the civil and public service; and the development of pilot capacity building programmes on strategic foresight. The outputs under the project will contribute to the development of a policy infrastructure plan grounded in three core aspects of good policy development. These are evidence, feasibility and legitimacy. This infrastructure is intended to create a platform to promote high quality policy development that is accessible across the Civil Service.

A range of meetings between different groups have taken place under the project, including advisory and steering group meetings, OECD-led workshops and regular updates between project teams in both Departments and the OECD. To inform the outputs of the project, the OECD conducted a research mission in Ireland in May 2022. This mission consisted of multiple interviews with Government Ministers, senior civil servants and Members of the Oireachtas, including, I believe, Members of the Opposition. Overall, in the context of these groups, workshops and the research mission, there have been 35 meetings and more are scheduled to take place before the project concludes. This is in addition to regular check-in meetings between the project teams involved.

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