Written answers

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Department of Justice and Equality

Departmental Reports

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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420. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the actions taken within her Department following the report of the independent review group on the Department of Justice and Equality; the total cost of this report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23001/15]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Since the publication of the Report of the Independent Review Group in relation to the performance, management and administration of my Department, a change programme to address the Group's recommendations has been developed and is being implemented. The objective is to support the necessary changes to ensure the Department provides strategic oversight and added value to its agencies.

The Deputy will recall that the Review Group envisaged a two year timescale for the full implementation of its recommendations and that will certainly be achieved although the work of embedding and sustaining the changes will continue. It should also be remembered that a number of recommendations reflect changes being made across the civil service under the Civil Service Renewal Plan which my Department is also committed to implementing. Having said that, since the report was published last July, all the short term recommendations in the report have been implemented addressing issues such as the purpose, functions and procedures relating to the Management Board (MB) meetings have been restructured in line with the recommendations in the Report; the format and structure of my regular meetings with the Management Board, which are also attended by the Ministers of State, have also been formalised; the membership of the Department's Management Board has been extended to include the Director of the Probation Service and two Principal Officers to ensure broader coverage of the Department and its agencies. External assistance has been procured to support the Board with the changes underway. The new Deputy Secretary post which was recommended in the report has been filled following an open competition conducted by TLAC. There have also been a number of appointments and changes made at senior management level following TLAC competitions. A Corporate Secretariat Office has been established and a Head of Communications and a Chief Information Officer have been appointed to improve managerial support, internal and external communications and work with the Government's Office of the Chief Information Officers to develop the Department's information capacity. Following a Round table consultation meeting with Heads of Agencies, two new groups have now been established to improve coherence, communications and governance across the sector. The first meetings of these groups (Criminal Justice Strategic Group and the Justice and Equality Leadership network) have taken place and work programmes are being developed. Formal annual Performance Agreements have been signed off with a number of agencies and are being monitored regularly - this process is continuing with the aim of formalising and strengthening governance arrangements and two-way dialogue with agencies. A new Strategy Statement for my Department covering the period 2015-2017 was published in April and an Annual Strategic Business Plan has been put in place to set out clearly the strategic objectives and priorities of the Department against which progress can be measured. Twice yearly progress reports will be published on my Department's website. A new more user friendly website has been developed and launched recently. This provides routine access to all replies to Parliamentary Questions as published in the Oireachtas Official Report as well as access to the Department’s Twitter feed. The Principal Officer cohort in the Department has established a network aimed at contributing to improving the overall coherence and efficiency of the Department's management and leadership. Measures to ensure that staff are kept informed and consulted on the process include a series of 6 town hall meetings and regular communications through the Department's internal portal. A staff survey has also been conducted with a view to establishing a baseline measurement for staff engagement and informing the change process. Work has also commenced on developing new Human Resources and Learning and Development Strategies.

The more long term recommendations around culture, leadership and management processes are also being addressed. A series of focus groups are scheduled to take place with staff over June and July to engage on the Department's future organisational culture. The Department has engaged international expertise to assist in the cultural change project which emphasises the need for a bottom up, organisation-wide approach to this change.

Another stream of the change programme includes the establishment of the Policing Authority as part of the comprehensive reforms relating to An Garda Síochána. This work, which is overseen by the Cabinet Committee on Justice Reform, has largely been achieved, including opening up recruitment to international competition for the posts of Garda Commissioner and Deputy Garda Commissioner; expanding the powers and remit of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission; and enacting the new whistleblower protection. As the Deputy is aware, the legislation relating to the Policing Authority has started its passage through the Oireachtas and it is envisaged that the membership of the Authority and the CEO position will be publicly advertised shortly.

The cost of the Report of the Independent Group was €36,000. I should add that all the members of the Group gave their services free of charge.

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