Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of non-core public service activities have been selected for priority outsourcing to Irish based companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3401/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Evaluating the opportunity for the external delivery of some non-core public services is an action in the Public Service Reform Plan agreed by Government in November 2011. Last July, the Government agreed a range of actions aimed at achieving a focused and integrated approach to external service delivery of non-core processes with the objective of reducing costs and focusing staff on priority areas.

External service delivery leads have been appointed in every Department and Sector and, while the Reform and Delivery Office in my Department is overseeing the development and implementation of external service delivery policy for the Public Service, the testing and ultimate decision with regard to the outsourcing of any particular new service is a matter for the individual public bodies concerned in each case.

The Reform and Delivery Office has also been engaging with Departments, Offices and Sectors to identify existing services that may be suitable for delivery by external providers with a view to selecting a number of major projects for evaluation. This process is ongoing and I expect to be in a position to update Government on progress in the near future.