Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures his Department has put in place to ensure that local authorities conform to quality customer service standards. [14450/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Quality customer service has been a key pillar of the local government modernisation programme over the past decade. Significant progress has been made by local authorities in service delivery under the programme and this has been confirmed by the Performance Verification Group for the local government sector under the National Partnership arrangements. Substantial support and resources have been provided by my Department to local authorities on specific initiatives in this regard. These include €31 million to support a one-stop-shop programme, making access to services and information easier and more efficient for customers. In addition, a further €9.8 million has been provided to improve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery through the use of information technology. Many local authority services are now more accessible on-line, including planning and motor tax.

As part of the modernisation programme, a Local Government Customer Service Group, representative of my Department, the local government sector at both elected member and official level, and the Institute of Public Administration, was put in place to develop and promote specific customer service initiatives. A number of initiatives have been brought forward by this group, including the introduction of local authority service indicators, under which authorities report annually to me as Minister on their performance across 42 indicators. The indicators, which were a first for the public service, are quality-assured by an Independent Assessment Panel. The Local Government Customer Service Group has recently completed a review of the indicators, resulting in a number of additions and amendments, to apply from 2008. The group has also issued separate guidelines to local authorities on best practice in handling customer complaints and engaging in customer consultation.

Looking further ahead, a high-level Task Force on Customer Service, chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and on which my Department and the local government sector are represented, was established in September 2007. This Task Force is charged with promoting quality customer service across the entire public service, including local government. Quality customer service will also be a cornerstone of the forthcoming Green Paper on Local Government reform and in this context I am looking forward to constructive comments and suggestions on how quality customer service in local authorities can be further improved. In the meantime, I want to acknowledge the progress made by local authorities and to assure the House that I am committed to ensuring that local authorities continue to intensify their efforts in this most important area.