Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 44: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, further to chapter 3 of the organisational review programme, a public modernisation initiative under the auspices of the Department of the Taoiseach, the actions she has taken to date to ensure that the capacity of her Department was adapted to meet the challenges identified; the action she has taken to tackle aspects of the report (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11671/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The organisational review programme – or ORP - report was based on examination of my Department's capacity to deliver for our stakeholders and was published in November 2008. As part of the ORP process, and in response to the ORP team's findings, my Department drew up an action plan aimed at addressing the specific findings of the report and that action plan was published in conjunction with the ORP report.

The plan set out several specific strategic actions the Department was to implement to further enhance and deepen the Department's capacity to deliver our mission, building on the many strengths already evident among the staff working in the Department. My Department established an ORP action plan implementation group in 2009 to oversee and report on the plan's implementation. This group is chaired by a member of my Department's management board and its membership comprises members representing different divisions of the Department.

The various individual actions in our plan are being delivered through a number of key strategies in the areas of staff training and development, HR, quality customer service, ICT and communications, as well as by undertaking specific actions directed at very particular findings. The action plan is augmented by the necessary and evolving change required to meet the challenges resulting from the radically altered fiscal environment in which the Department operates, as well as in light of reduced financial and personnel resources which obtain now and will continue into the future.

I am satisfied the Department is working diligently to deliver its ORP action plan commitments while managing the significantly changed policy environment created by the global economic downturn of the past two years. While there is more to be done to further improve our delivery, the key policies and initiatives necessary to address the findings of the 2008 ORP report are in place and are being implemented. I am satisfied with progress achieved to date in very challenging times for the public service.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I do not agree with the Tánaiste's analysis. She has published her 47-point plan but most of the points are on minor issues. The whole idea of this review was for the Tánaiste to shake up her Department and get it ready to take on new opportunities and new threats. That has not happened and the results speak for themselves. The fact that more than 400,000 people are unemployed and businesses cannot get credit are two examples. The Department has failed. As a major Department, it was specifically asked to engage with other Departments on cost-cutting measures to drive the competitiveness agenda. It has failed in that as well.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A question, please.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I am asking the questions. I want the Tánaiste to answer me.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy is making a speech.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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If I made a speech, I would take much longer than this. What specifically has the Tánaiste done with her Department to make it ready for the current situation? It does not seem to have worked. Why has she failed to drive the agenda across all Departments? This country is uncompetitive and businesses are suffering as a result. She was given the responsibility in this document to get her Department up to speed to be able to do it. It has not happened.

The Tánaiste was also told in this policy to take responsibility for initiatives in her area. What has happened? The Department of the Taoiseach has taken over the smart economy policy and new innovation fund. Will the Tánaiste explain where her Department has improved or been made ready to take on the job it should be doing now? The Taoiseach is considering chopping up this Department because the Tánaiste has failed. Will she show me where she believes her Department is ready to take on the job it is meant to do?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Time, please. I call the Tánaiste to reply.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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If not, we will have it chopped up. That will create more delays and more job losses as each new Department finds its way around. It speaks for itself.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I do not know why I should answer the question. The Deputy is going around in circles. The question is-----

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The question is clear - what has the Tánaiste done in her Department that might work?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Please, Deputy. Allow others to speak.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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That is the question. The Deputy raised the issue of the competitiveness agenda, which is key to the work that has been ongoing in the Cabinet sub-committee dealing with economic recovery, where my Department, as the lead Department, has ensured we have reduced our electricity and gas costs, which are a major issue, and reduced the regulatory burden on businesses. All of that work has been achieved.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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What?

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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We have seen a reduction in energy costs and labour cost inputs.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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What about the red tape?

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The issue of competitiveness is being dealt with. We will continue to drive the competitiveness agenda, particularly in the more sheltered sectors, arising from the Competition Authority proposals dealing with the non-traded sectors in particular, although I appreciate the Deputy is not always enamoured with Competition Authority proposals. These are the challenges associated with the issue of competitiveness and this is to the forefront in the work of the Department.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A brief supplementary from Deputy English.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The reorganisation of the Department is clearly focused in establishing much better, well-supported, clearly focused, policy driven initiatives in particular with regard to the issue of competitiveness.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Deputies will note that one minute is allowed to ask a question and one minute to reply.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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This review paper gave the Minister the opportunity to fix her Department but she did not do so and as a consequence, her Department will be chopped up. She would better serve the country if she moved out of her Department so that it would not be chopped up. Chopping it up and moving it around will cause delays in strategies and actions and we have had nothing but inaction. She has not tackled the competitiveness issue-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A question, please.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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These are questions. She claimed in her reply that she has reduced the burden of red tape but she has not done so. If this is the case then she should prove it to me. Businesses are suffering and unemployment is rising every day. If the actions in this report had been implemented, she might be in a position to hold on to her job and her Department might be in a position to have us in a better place but she did not do it.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Tánaiste for a final reply.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Taoiseach takes over responsibility for the two main issues, the smart economy and the innovation fund but her Department cannot handle them.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy knows nothing about the running of any Department-----

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is wrong in that. I have consistently questioned the Tánaiste and her Department.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy should resume his seat.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I wish I had her job and she would find out.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I would much rather take my chances with him.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I have called the Tánaiste and Deputy English will resume his seat.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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May I defend myself afterwards?.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I have called the Tánaiste to reply.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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The Leas-Cheann Comhairle should be shown some respect.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The question is about the ORP, the organisational review programme, which is dealing with the structures, the frameworks and the policy initiatives involved in running the Department. I and the team in my Department are fully addressing the competitiveness issue. We are working with a number of colleagues to ensure that from an over-arching perspective the competitiveness and the innovation issues are being dealt with. We have set down matrix and parameters which have-----

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Matrix again, here we go.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Matrix in the framework.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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-----been achieved. If the Deputy had bothered to read the work of IDA Ireland, he would clearly see that there is a new narrative in encouraging FDI, foreign direct investment into the country, based on greater competitiveness, a reduction in our energy costs and a reduction in the labour unit costs. That is the reality and we are much more competitive-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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We must move on. I call Question No. 45.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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-----but it will continue to be an issue we will continue to support.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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With respect, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I am entitled to make one small point.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I am afraid we are well over time on this question. This is Question Time and not a time for speeches.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Tánaiste cannot stand there and say I do not know anything about running the Department.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Please allow us to proceed.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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If I am allowed make one point then I will sit down.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Deputy, we are not here to bargain. Please resume your seat.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I have been insulted. It is to do with changing an organisation to get competitive.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I am sure the Deputy will find a way of defending himself.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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She cannot understand the concept.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I call the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy English is clearly a more fragile creature than the gentleman beside him.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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It would be very helpful if the Minister of State did not aggravate an already difficult enough situation.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Deputy opposite is slightly fragile. I did not realise he was so fragile.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Deputy Morgan and I are the only voices of sanity.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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We always thought Meath full-backs were a little bit more robust than that. I am speaking as a Dub, of course.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I ask the Minister of State to proceed with answering the question.