Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 458: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the benefits which accrued from benchmarking with regard to the services provided to the general public by his Department. [40871/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The aim of the benchmarking exercises carried out by the Public Service Benchmarking Body, first established under the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, has been to carry out detailed examination in relation to the jobs, pay and conditions of public servants and compare these with jobs of equal size in the private sector using representative comparative data on pay and conditions. In undertaking this work, the aim has been to move away from the traditional approach to determining pay based on relativities.

The two benchmarking exercises conducted to date have been undertaken with regard to a broad range of considerations, including public service modernisation. Co-operation with modernisation and change, and an increased focused on performance and accountability, are continuing requirements of a modern public service.

In terms of public service modernisation in general, and provisions set out under successive social partnership agreements in particular, my Department has been engaged in an extensive programme of modernisation and change in recent years.

The Department plays a pivotal role in framing policies and overseeing implementation of a wide range of programmes that impact on people's lives. Major programmes are delivered for the most part through the local government sector, but the Department plays a critical role in delivering on key measures. In particular, our leadership of the climate change agenda; our performance in tackling environmental management and protection issues in relation to waste and water; our outcomes in supporting quality housing in sustainable communities and in promoting balanced regional development that safeguards natural and historical assets, have a profound impact on quality of life throughout the country. Given the breadth of my Department's mandate, and the need to address environmental, economic and social issues that are both complex and changing, it is critical that it continues to develop as a responsive and agile organisation. In this context, achievements under the modernisation and change agenda, in recent years, have included:

extensive policy development, particularly in relation to climate change, waste management, housing;

major capital investment and programmes in areas such as water, waste recycling and housing infrastructure;

modernisation of the regulatory framework in, for example, planning, local government and environmental protection;

the development of enhanced financial management procedures, and use of ICT systems, to improve both internal administrative processes and to provide enhanced services to our customers;

improvements in forecast accuracy and automation of service delivery in Met Éireann;

an increased focus on performance and accountability both at the organisational and individual levels, in particular through the introduction of Annual Output Statements, value for money assessment frameworks, and the linkage of the Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) with HR processes.

Under the current social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, verification of co-operation with flexibility and ongoing change, co-operation with satisfactory implementation of the modernisation agenda, and maintenance of stable industrial relations, is undertaken by the Civil Service Performance Verification Group (CSPVG). Full details regarding progress made by my Department over the course of Towards 2016 in relation to modernisation and change, and the resultant improvements in delivery, can be found on the CSPVG's website — www.cspvg.gov.ie.