Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has carried out a review or made any changes following the finding of the Department of Finance which indicated inefficiencies in her Department including the fact that some staff have too much work to do and others have very little; if this report will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20212/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I take it that the Deputy's question refers to the review of my Department that was carried out last year under the Organisational Review Programme (ORP). Following receipt of the report of the review in February last, the Department set about preparing an Action Plan setting out its response to the ORP conclusions. The report and action plan will be published in due course along with similar reports and action plans for other Government Offices, following submission to the Government.

The ORP is a public service modernisation initiative under the auspices of the Department of the Taoiseach. It involves assessing the capacity of individual Government Departments and major Offices to meet their challenges over the coming years. My Department has already made it clear that it welcomes this report and is satisfied that it provides a timely and helpful review. The report acknowledges the Department's strengths and achievements including, in particular, the ability and commitment of its staff in dealing with a difficult agenda.

It also identifies areas which require improvement, which include the Department's human resource capacities. The drafting of the Action Plan is now at an advanced stage and I would anticipate that it will be sent forward to the Department of the Taoiseach shortly for submission to Government.

The process of drafting the plan has involved extensive internal consultation and it will set out an agreed set of actions designed to address the issues raised in the report and provide a roadmap for the future development of the Department to meet the challenges over the coming years.

I am confident that the Action Plan will be an effective response to the report and my Department will use it to build on its undoubted strengths and to further improve its performance in these changing and challenging times.