Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Finance the changes in work practices which he sought to negotiate as part of the National Social Partnership talks. [31463/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Towards 2016 is a ten year framework agreement which sets out an agenda for the further modernisation of the public service. It commits the parties to the Agreement to continued co-operation with change and modernisation initiatives, as well as improved productivity across the public service.

In approaching the recent Partnership talks the Government recognised that while significant progress has been made in advancing the modernisation agenda, many more changes are both awaited and needed. In particular, there must be a more customer-focussed approach to the delivery of public services, with an increased focus on service delivery over internal reforms and a shift in emphasis from organisational inputs to outputs and outcomes for the citizen. I want the modernisation process to deliver results that are clear, useful and verifiable to the user and puts the public at the centre of our public services.

The parties to the agreement support the development of a more customer-focussed approach to the delivery of public services and acknowledge that there are challenges that must be addressed if the public service is to meet the needs and expectations of our citizens. The agreement recognises that the public service must review continuously its systems, processes and procedures, to ensure that it is responsive and efficient and that it provides high quality, value for money services. There will be a need for changes in skill mix; in how services are delivered; when and where they are delivered; and by whom they are delivered. Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of Towards 2016, the parties acknowledge the requirement for developing the range of service delivery options, for utilising shared services in areas such as HR, ICT and financial management and for developing cross-organisational solutions as a way of addressing problems of service delivery on a 'whole of Government' basis.

In approaching the talks the Government was also mindful of the recommendations of the OECD Review of the Public Service, Towards an Integrated Public Service, which concluded that we are on a sound trajectory of modernisation but could further improve the yield from reforms by renewing focus on their pace and sequencing in order to make them more mutually reinforcing. The Government has established a Task Force to develop a new Action Plan for the public service of the 21st Century in the light of the recent comprehensive Review by the OECD. Its report is expected shortly.

While the detailed implementation of the Action Plan will require discussions with all relevant interests, the parties to the agreement commit themselves to implementation of the basic principles emerging from the OECD report. In particular, they accept the need identified by the OECD to give more emphasis to the public service as an integrated system with a greater focus on meeting the needs of citizens. This will require that people within the different elements of the public service system work in a more consistent, co-ordinated, networked way across the traditional sectoral and organisational boundaries. It also means that Departments, Offices, and Agencies will have to interact with each other in new ways to ensure integrated action in policy-making, delivery and implementation.