Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the report of the organisation review programme with respect to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36504/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Organisational Review Programme, ORP, process is essentially a review mechanism to allow the Government to assess how Departments and Offices of State are performing in terms of capacity to deliver Government policy and service delivery generally. The first phase of the ORP process was launched in 2007 with a review of three Departments, including my Department. Indeed, it was a sign of my Department's commitment to regularly assessing its performance levels, as well as its keenness to identify areas for further improvement, that it volunteered as one of the first Departments to be reviewed under the ORP process.

The report of the first phase of the ORP, which was published in November 2008, outlined my Department's strengths and weaknesses by reference to ten attributes, which were grouped under the three components of strategy, managing delivery and evaluation. An action plan was developed by my Department in response to the challenges for the Department outlined in the report. That plan was published with the ORP report. The plan contained 38 action points addressing the common areas of communications, policy analysis, development and evaluation capabilities and leadership, human resources policy, quality customer service, ICT resources, financial management and governance issues. Since the report and action plan were published, an implementation group in my Department has been established to monitor progress on delivering the plan's individual action points. I am pleased to report that many of them have, at this juncture, been implemented or are well advanced.

As well as reporting to my Department's management board by the end of the year to outline the overall progress that has been achieved, the group is considering the identification of further measures necessary to continue to meet our organisational challenges into the future, as well as prioritisation of remaining action points in light of the new economic environment in which my Department is operating. Overall, I was heartened by the positive messages contained in the report regarding the ability of my Department, and staff, to deliver on our strategic objectives. I welcomed its recommendations as a vehicle to drive further enhancements to help its to meet its current and future challenges.