Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Finance the benefits which accrued from benchmarking with regard to the services provided to the general public by his Department. [40872/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has consistently received a positive assessment from the Civil Service Performance Verification Group (PVG) in relation to the achievement of its modernisation objectives under successive public service Pay Agreements. These objectives, including objectives relating to the provision of services to the general public, were part of a modernisation plan approved in advance by the PVG and monitored by it over the course of the Agreement. Thus, the relevant objectives, and performance generally in relation to the provision of services to our customers, were scrutinised over a period of years by the PVG and met with their satisfaction. While the Department was not required to conduct a similar exercise under Benchmarking, I am satisfied, in light of the PVG exercise in recent years, with the quality of the services provided by our staff, whether to the general public or otherwise.