Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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84. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the main policy initiatives undertaken by his Department since 27 June 2020; and his main priorities for 2021. [2090/21]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In line with the requirements of the Public Service Management Act, 1997, I have recently agreed a new Statement of Strategy for my Department for the period 2021-2023, which reflects my priorities and the commitments in the Programme for Government relevant to my Department.  I will submit this to Government shortly, following which it will be published on the gov.ie website.  

My priorities for 2021 include the following: 

- To continue to manage public expenditure effectively while addressing challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and Climate Change;

- To produce multi-annual Estimates and Expenditure Statements that meet Government objectives, EU commitments and support economic, social and climate-related progress on a fiscally sustainable basis, and to monitor voted expenditure outturns and trends during the year;

- To mainstream budgetary reforms to promote certainty and discipline regarding the level and broad composition of public expenditure over the medium term, to enhance the quality of performance information and to continually develop the evidence-based approach to expenditure policy formulation, including through the key role of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service and through the promotion of the linkage between the allocation of resources and the proposed well-being framework;

- To manage public service pay and pension costs on a fiscally sustainable basis using agreed industrial relations frameworks and advance solutions to support the effective administration of the Single Pension Scheme;

- To oversee the review of the National Development Plan and alignment with the National Planning Framework as part of Project Ireland 2040;

- To address the challenges posed by Brexit, while maximising the opportunities presented by EU membership in a range of EU policy areas.  We will make the best use of EU funding, including the existing European Structural and Investment Funds and the new Recovery and Resilience Facility and Brexit Adjustment Reserve, and promote North-South cooperation, including through PEACE PLUS;

- To lead the implementation of Our Public Service 2020 to deliver better outcomes for the public, build effective public service organisations, and develop a culture of innovation as part of the reform programme, and to develop and lead Our Public Service 2030;

- To lead the development and implementation of a ten year Civil Service Renewal Vision and Strategy and the first of three operational plans;

- To promote and support open, accountable and transparent government and public administration and good governance in the Public Service;

- To lead and support the development and implementation of a new Civil Service People Strategy, which reflects the workplace transformation that has taken place as a result of Covid-19 and challenges traditional ways of working to support business continuity and effectiveness into the future;

- To drive the implementation of the GovTech priority actions and the Public Service ICT, Data and eGovernment strategies, with particular focus on those initiatives that will improve delivery of public services, encourage take-up of digital services, encourage sharing and promote the use of data as a key enabler of better services; and

- To lead the Procurement Reform Programme, to enable effective, sustainable and compliant procurement across the Public Service.

I would add that my Department has an important role in respect of service delivery to other public bodies and priorities in that regard include:

- To deliver effective and efficient ICT services to relevant public bodies as part of the Build to Share programme and use the OGCIO Vote to support the sustainable development and delivery of these services;

- To ensure oversight, value for money and evidence based prioritisation of learning solutions by OneLearning, which has responsibility for all L&D that is common across the Civil Service;

- To implement projects to strengthen HR service delivery across the Civil Service, including the Human Capital Management Project, HR Operating Model and the CSHRD Centre of Expertise; and

- To continue to drive an integrated approach to public procurement through the Office of Government Procurement and to provide a range of procurement solutions for the Public Service, delivering value for money, compliance and risk reduction.

Throughout 2020, the staff of my Department worked collaboratively on a very wide range of policies, projects and initiatives to deliver on its strategic goals.  Work has commenced on preparing the Department's Annual Report, which will set out the key initiatives and achievements of the Department for 2020 as a whole. This is expected to be published and uploaded to the gov.ie website later in Quarter 1.