Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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240. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there has been any analysis undertaken on the time it takes Civil Service employees to speak to a person in PeoplePoint or on the costs incurred by having such employees put on hold while trying to speak to a person in PeoplePoint; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19608/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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PeoplePoint is committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement which seeks to enhance all aspects of its operational performance over time.  While monitoring takes place on a daily basis of how long it takes for individual calls to be answered, no mechanism is currently in place to provide the specific information set out in the Deputy's question.  Information on a number of key measures of customer service and customer satisfaction is, however, collected and analysed on an ongoing basis to seek to ensure that a good standard of service is provided by PeoplePoint.  This information will provide the basis for the finalisation of key performance indicators for the organisation.  It is a priority for management and staff in PeoplePoint to deal effectively and efficiently with all telephone queries received by the organisation.  These calls by their nature relate to HR and pension issues which are of concern to the caller and the Deputy will appreciate that in those circumstances it is important that sufficient time is allocated by the HR adviser in PeoplePoint to ensuring that each call is properly dealt with, consistent with the maintenance of PeoplePoint's operational effectiveness overall.  In addition there have been particular periods where reflecting specific circumstances the volumes of calls into PeoplePoint has created longer waiting time for telephone callers. PeoplePoint management is continuing to work with my Department to address this issue in the future.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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241. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason individual Civil Service Departments continue to have their own sections dealing with HR and pension issues when such functions are supposed to be performed by the centralised PeoplePoint unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19609/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy may wish to note that in overall terms the provision of Human Resource (HR) and pension services involves both transactional (i.e. administrative) and non-transactional HR and pension activities (e.g. HR strategy, workforce planning, career management, employee and industrial relations, etc.). PeoplePoint, the Civil Service Human Resources and Pensions Shared Service Centre (HRSSC), consolidates the transactional HR and pensions services which are within the scope of the shared service initiative in one location with the objective of carrying out these activities in an efficient, uniform and streamlined way. Responsibility for all other aspects of HR functions and for all aspects of HR decision-making not transferring to PeoplePoint remains with Departments and Offices participating in PeoplePoint and these activities continue to be carried out by their individual HR Units.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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242. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the staff working in PeoplePoint carry out overtime work; the total amount spent on such overtime by PeoplePoint; if the overtime policy in PeoplePoint differs from the overtime policy in other sections of the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19610/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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During the period March to April 2014, some staff in PeoplePoint availed of the opportunity to work overtime.  The total cost of this overtime was €16,056 gross. The request for overtime was sanctioned in accordance with the relevant guidelines for my Department. The overtime was applied for in advance to the Head of Strategic HR and was sanctioned on the basis of specific business needs pertaining at that time. Again, in accordance with standard practice in my Department, each individual overtime claim form is subject to authorisation by the HR Strategy Unit. Any further requests for overtime that may arise in PeoplePoint will be subject to the same sanction procedures.

The need for overtime can, on occasion, arise within certain Divisions and Business Units given the nature of the functions they carry out and issues of timing and deadlines. The approval of overtime is therefore sometimes necessary to ensure the effective operations of the Department. Nonetheless, I would like to assure the Deputy that every effort is made to limit and minimise the necessity for overtime, and PeoplePoint, like all other Business Units and Divisions across my Department, is required to restructure and adapt procedures and work practices where necessary to curtail the need for overtime.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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243. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the savings generated to date by PeoplePoint; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19611/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The 2012 financial appraisal underpinning the decision to proceed with this project estimated that, when fully operational, savings of €12.5m per annum and a reduction of 149 full time equivalents (FTEs) could be made in the resources assigned to delivering transactional (i.e. administrative) HR and pensions services to the Civil Service.  PeoplePoint is also intended to yield important non-financial benefits, including improved efficiency, consistency and service delivery.  Carrying out a detailed financial appraisal for any project of the scale of PeoplePoint is an essential element of project governance and accountability.

A key driver of savings in this project is a reduction in the number of staff providing transactional HR and pension services.  My Department has been engaged in tracking and reviewing the progress achieved to date in securing reductions in the number of staff providing transactional HR and pensions services from HR Units to the Civil Service on a tranche by tranche basis with a view to reporting to Government on progress. The Deputy may wish to note that the projected reductions in FTEs set out in the financial appraisal would only be expected to be achieved once PeoplePoint is stable and fully operational.