John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Question 18: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the work he has carried out in respect of models of corporate governance within the civil and public service; and his plans regarding same. [20308/11]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on modernisation of the public sector and on the reform of the public sector. [20289/11]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 42: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the institutional reforms, if any, he intends to introduce across the civil and public service; if those reforms include taking account of service users; if there will be a consultation process for service users; if the service reform he intends will go beyond dealing with wage costs and will involve restructuring the civil and public service; if so, the arrangements that will be required between the affected Departments; if capacity assessments will form any part of any such changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20323/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 32 and 42 together.

As outlined in the Programme for Government, this Government is committed to the most ambitious programme of Public Service Reform since the foundation of the State. This will take place in tandem with an equally significant programme of constitutional, political and institutional reform to ensure that there is a fundamental change in democratic and public governance, and a dramatic change in the cost efficiency and methods of delivery of public services. It is clear that the cost of delivering public services must be reduced further and that the Public Service must become better integrated and more customer-focused, as well as being leaner and more efficient. The Government wants to make progress on this issue quickly and detailed implementation plans are being developed at present, which will encompass the commitments to Public Service reform in the Programme for Government and priority areas from the existing Transforming Public Services programme.

My Department has been given a clear mandate to drive and enable reform, and the focus now is on the key reforms required and how and in what sequence they will be implemented, to ensure that substantive and tangible change is delivered within clearly defined timeframes. These plans will focus on actions to improve performance by organisations and individuals; ensure greater efficiency, effectiveness and economy; and ensure flexibility in the deployment of people and resources. The performance and governance of public bodies is a key issue, and the potential to enhance corporate governance arrangements across the Public Service will be assessed in the context of the relevant commitments in the Programme for Government.

The overall reform programme, including institutional reform, will of course have regard to the needs of service users and a range of other factors. The overall objective of the reform programme is to ensure that the Public Service does better for less and delivers quality services to citizens and businesses with the resources available. The ambitious programme of reform will be overseen by the recently established Cabinet Committee on Public Service Reform, which is chaired by the Taoiseach and which I convene. In addition, it is my intention to establish a dedicated office within my Department to facilitate, drive and support the reform programme. This office will work closely with organisations across the Public Service, enabling them to drive the delivery of reform at a local level, as well as leading on cross-cutting reform initiatives. The office will include appropriate expertise in areas such as shared services, business process improvement, and others as required.