Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 237 of 4 December 2012, if he will provide a list of all new services across his Department that have been tested for external service delivery since March 2011. [55433/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

One of the key commitments in the Public Service Reform Plan is to identify and evaluate new business models and opportunities to support the delivery of non-core processes and services. External Service Delivery is an area that can potentially deliver a range of benefits for the provision of health services. These include both cost and efficiency savings stemming from better work and management practices.

An External Services Delivery Plan which outlines possible areas which may benefit from External Delivery is currently being drawn up by my Department in conjunction with the HSE.

External Service Delivery has very limited applicability within my Department itself as the Department generally does not provide any services direct to the public. However, the provision of a central Human Resources function for the entire Civil Service is already well advanced and my Department is scheduled to join that system from about mid 2013. The provision of centralised Accounts functions is also being considered at a central level and I await the outcome of that process.