Tom Shehan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. Public services are essential to the functioning of our economy and society. A strong and effective public service is recognised as a source of competitive advantage for any country. The Irish public service has already made a major contribution to the national recovery and as the country enters a new phase after the conclusion of the troika programme the public service must continue to play a central role in our recovery.

Public service reform will remain a key element of the strategic response to our ongoing challenges into the future. Two years ago the Government's public service reform plan was published. A renewed wave of reform has been developed, building on the progress made, implementing the first reform plan and setting out an ambitious new phase in the reform programme. This new plan outlines the key cross-cutting and sectoral reform initiatives that will be implemented over the next three years. It also addresses the ambition for reform towards 2020. The plan is complemented by a progress report that sets out the strong progress achieved in the implementation of the current reform plan in reducing costs, improving productivity, increasing online delivery of services and greater use of shared services, to name some areas.

There are four key themes running through the new reform plan: delivery of improved outcomes, reform dividend, digitisation, openness and accountability. This new public service reform plan also addresses a wide range of other issues, including the implementation of shared services models, the evaluation of new business models for the delivery of non-core services, the reform of public procurement, property rationalisation, strengthening leadership and human resource management reforms. We need to address the culture of the public service to ensure it adapts to meet the challenges and opportunities that will arise in the coming years. In short, it needs to be fit for purpose.

We need to continue to ensure that our public service is exactly that, a service to the public. Many reforms are planned across the public service over the coming years that will improve how services are designed and delivered. This reform programme must be dynamic and responsive. This is why the first reform plan is being refreshed. We need to ensure that the culture of the public service adapts to meet the challenges and opportunities that will arise. This will support a public service that is better integrated, more responsive, more efficient and more focused on strategic goals and on our service users. There was a commitment in the first public service reform plan of November 2011 to create a public service of which we can all be proud, delivering flexible and responsive services to our customers. The public service has embarked on this journey. It is not complete yet, but the actions set out in this plan will build on the considerable progress made to date and take us much further along the road.

I welcome the Minister to the House and encourage him to continue to step up to the mark when it comes to reforming the way our public service does its business. I have a few questions for the Minister, in the first instance about the town hall meetings that are to act as a sponge for the people delivering public services. Some time ago I met in this town a director of services from a local authority who said that if he was allowed, or was able, to get rid of the people under his remit whom he needed to get rid of he could get rid of 20 of them and increase productivity by 20%. I imagine that is what the Minister will hear at town hall meetings. I hope that is what he will hear, but I do not know whether that can be achieved.

The theme running through this reform process is "doing more with less"; that is what every house in the country is doing, it is not only the public sector which is doing it.

With regard to procurement, there are projected savings of €500 million, about which I am slightly worried. In the process the small supplier, producer and provider is being blown from the water not only by multinationals but also by businesses from abroad. Small companies are not really at the races when it comes to these procurement deals. Will the Minister provide for clarity in that regard?

My final point is on quangos. I know there has been much integration of bodies, but could we have a breakdown of the quangos that have been amalgamated or abolished? What is the plan for quangos in the next year or two?