Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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105. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if it is his policy to continue to enhance and develop high-level and continuous training and education at all levels of the civil and public service in order to maintain the high standards of the service; if he is satisfied as to the quality and adequacy of training and education opportunities provided; how levels of training and continuous learning of Irish civil and public servants compares to other countries; if he has any plans to improve the levels of education and training and access to it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14134/23]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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107. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there is a dedicated civil service management training unit in the service; if he will list other training agencies of the State including the Institute for Public affairs, and any other bodies, including the learning and development section in his own Department involved in the delivery of training and education across the service with and on behalf of departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14136/23]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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109. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the proportion of all civil service training in his Department which is outsourced; the names of the private companies to which the outsourcing is procured from; the fees paid to each company in excess of €10,000 over each of the past three years; if he will list any courses and training procured abroad by senior civil servants in 2020, 2021 and 2022; the name of the universities, institutes, and private and public bodies involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14138/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 105, 107 and 109 together.

My Department, through OneLearning and the Senior Public Service (SPS) Team, has central responsibility for learning and development policies and supports for all levels up to and including the Senior Public Service (SPS). The SPS Team predominantly focuses on those at the most senior levels, working in close collaboration with OneLearning colleagues who provide training that is common across the Civil Service with a particular focus on CO-PO level. Learning and Development Units across the Civil Service also source and procure tailored learning and development solutions for their organisations.

The focus of OneLearning and the SPS Team continues to be on strengthening the capabilities, skills and competencies of the workforce to meet current and future organisational and system needs in a dynamic operating environment, ensuring a sustainable and successful public service. One key strategic element of this work also continues to be a focus on supporting leadership development and growing leadership capability and capacity at all levels.

In 2021 OneLearning conducted a full scale Learning Needs Analysis for the Civil Service, with input from learners, L&D Units and Senior Management from all Civil Service Bodies across the Civil Service. Following that process this Department successfully procured and signed contracts with 5 new training Providers for the development and delivery of 52 new courses. Development of those courses is now advanced, with the majority of courses now available with others at an advanced stage of development. The courses cover a wide range of areas including people management, communications, customer service, data, innovation, project management, personal & team wellbeing and Irish Language.

Feedback on all OneLearning courses remains positive with over 97% of Learners recommending their course to a colleague and over 90% of learners can identify specific actions to put their learning into practice. The majority of OneLearning’s courses are delivered by external Training Providers. All OneLearning courses are developed to meet the civil service’s specific needs and piloted prior to rollout. Development costs only are met centrally out of OneLearning’s budget allocation, attendance costs are met by individual organisations.

SPS initiatives are informed by direct ongoing engagement with the SPS membership, research and thought leadership including the OECD. There has been an external review of the Talent Management programme for POs and SPS membership by NUI Galway, which found the programmes to be effective and impactful. While OneLearning/SPS Team initiatives are informed by insights and learnings from other jurisdictions, the primary purpose is to provide programmes/courses that are tailored specifically to the Irish Civil Service context.

While the majority of training is procured from third parties, training content is co-designed with Civil Service subject matter experts in close collaboration with the SPS and OneLearning teams. In addition, where feasible courses are delivered by Civil Service subject matter experts.

Supports provided by the SPS team are supplemented from time to time by senior level participation in academic programmes to strengthen networks and sharing of learnings internationally with peers from other jurisdictions. Senior leaders from a range of Civil Service Bodies have attended highly regarded international academic programmes e.g. in Oxford Blavatnik School of Government, Harvard, Stanford, INSEAD etc.

In addition, the Institute of Public Administration (IPA), is a body under the aegis of my Department. The IPA is a Recognised College of NUI and differs from other educational providers in that it specialises in the public sector and adopts a multi-faceted approach – in addition to accredited third-level education, the Institute specialises in public sector training and development, consultancy and advisory services, commissioned research and publishing.

I note the Deputies request for; the names of the private companies to which the outsourcing is procured from; the fees paid to each company in excess of €10,000 over each of the past three years; if he will list any courses and training procured abroad by senior civil servants in 2020, 2021 and 2022;

This information is informed from a range of providers and my officials are currently collating the material sought from the Deputy and will forward it to him as a matter of urgency.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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106. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide data, if available, on the qualification levels (details supplied) of civil servants in his Department as of 31 December 2022; how educational attainment levels have evolved in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14135/23]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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108. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide information on the training and continuing education budget for civil servants in his Department for 2023 compared to 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14137/23]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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110. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the average number of days training per grade in his Department in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; how this compares internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14139/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 106, 108 and 110 together.

My Department is committed to supporting its staff in terms of training and further education. In line with supporting our overall Department objectives, a wide range of programmes are supported and all staff are actively encouraged to develop and enhance the professional skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that lead to organisational success, embedding a culture of employee engagement, high performance and inclusivity across the Department.

In this context, the overall budget for learning and development across the Department is €952,000 in 2023, which has increased from €877,000 in 2022. This overall budget is allocated across three Votes - the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Vote 11), the Office of Government Procurement (Vote 39) and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (Vote 43).

The data on formal training days for the period requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below:

* Data in relation to 2022 formal training days has not yet been collated.

** The above figures does not included participation in short online Health and Wellbeing and related sessions.

Educational attainments are not held by my Department in the format requested by the Deputy.