Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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57. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether the budgeting process operated by his Department promotes innovation to a sufficient extent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52334/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Budgetary and expenditure reform is a key feature of public expenditure management and is progressed in a number of ways including through regular engagement across Departments on cross cutting issues and through the public service reform programme.

The promotion of innovation may be seen within the overall context of budgetary reform through a range of initiatives including:

• Performance Budgeting;

• Equality Budgeting;

• Green Budgeting

• Well-being framework; and

• The Spending Review Process.

Together, these reforms aim to provide a more comprehensive insight into how public services are supporting society. They consider not only how and where the money is spent but also the impact of public expenditure across different cohorts of society. They work in tandem with broader initiatives, such as the establishment of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, to develop capacity and enhance the role of economics and value for money analysis in public policy making.

In terms of innovation initiatives as a standalone objective, the current framework for public service transformation is contained within Better Public Services, which builds on earlier reforms by my Department. The core of the Strategy is made up of three themes;

[1] Digital innovation at scale,

[2] Workforce and organisation of the future; and

[3]Evidence informed policies and services designed for and with the public.

Making progress under these themes will support sectoral level reform programmes already underway in the Public Service and build on recent successes in the area of innovation across the Public Service.

Since its launch in May of this year, there have already been important cross-organisational initiatives established to drive digital innovation at scale, including Ireland’s ambitious ‘Life Events’ programme. This programme aims to deliver seamless end-to-end services, designed with and for our customers in a manner that ensures that key certificates and credentials are available digitally at all of our fingertips.

In November 2020, my Department published the Public Service Innovation Strategy, ‘Making Innovation Real’. My Department has since then assisted Public Service organisations in setting their own innovation goals and actions.

The Public Service Innovation Advisory Board was established in November 2021. The role of the board is to provide best practice, learnings and recommendations on driving innovation across the public service.

Finally, in 2023, the Public Service Innovation Fund allocated €750,000 to support 18 innovative projects in areas of Digital Transformation, Citizen Support Innovation, Green and Sustainable Initiatives. Since its establishment in 2019, the fund has supported around 100 projects.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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58. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to reduce the over reliance of the public sector on private consultants making particular reference to the requirement of public bodies to report consultancy fees in their annual financial statement under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52369/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the availability of necessary expertise within the Public Service, I would make the point that Better Public Services 2030, which is the Government’s Public Service Transformation Strategy, includes Workforce of the Future as one of its three pillars. This reflects a strong commitment to growing capability across the Public Service to ensure that our workforce has the skills to meet future demands. In prioritising upskilling and reskilling as a key action in Better Public Services 2030, we can ensure that specialist expertise is developed and shared across the sector to provide organisations with the capacity to deliver better outcomes through expert-led research and analysis.

Turning to the use of private consultants by public bodies, Public Financial Procedures, the State’s guide to financial management, stipulates in Section D2.39 that “Consultancy services or external support should only be availed of where the expert skills or capabilities are not available within the Government Department or Public Body contracting the service or where an external review is required by an outside body such as, for example, the EU Commission.” In line with Public Financial Procedures and Public Procurement Guidelines, it is the responsibility of all public bodies to ensure that they have effective financial management, public procurement and risk management processes in place. This applies to all areas of public spending, including in respect of consulting contracts.

In the case of my own Department, external consultancy is only used where the necessary expertise is not available within the Department. In addition, every effort is made to limit the costs that arise, with approval at senior level required for the engagement of consultancy, and to ensure that skills transfer to the staff of the Department is part of the engagement with the supplier.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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59. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which his Department continues to identify, isolate and confront delays in the delivery of various services such as housing, health services and educational needs, with a view to ensuring a smooth transition of procedures in order to facilitate the meeting of the various needs on an ongoing basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52295/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The mission of my Department, as set out in its Statement of Strategy 2023-25, is to drive the delivery of better public services, living standards and infrastructure for the people of Ireland. In this context, my Department works closely with all Departments in seeking to enable and support them in the delivery of better public services, including in the implementation of Better Public Services 2030, which is the Government’s Public Service Transformation Strategy. As set out in Estimates 2024, the Government continues to prioritise and make very significant investment in the key areas of housing, health and education. The Deputy will be aware that Parliamentary Questions regarding the delivery of services in those sectors should be addressed to the relevant Ministers.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is expected to receive €914m in grants over the lifetime of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). In order to access this funding, Ireland has developed the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). The RRF is a performance-based instrument with payment contingent on the satisfactory achievement of milestones and targets. The NRRP is based on sixteen investment projects and nine reform measures and their associated 109 milestones and targets covering the following priorities:

• Priority 1: Advancing the Green Transition;
• Priority 2: Accelerating and Expanding Digital Reforms and Transformation; and
• Priority 3: Social and Economic Recovery and Job Creation

A Delivery Committee chaired at a senior level (Assistant Secretary) by my Department and deputy co-chaired by the Departments of Taoiseach and Finance meets at least quarterly. Its role is to maintain oversight of implementation of the plan, and address issues as they arise.

While the Implementing Body and Delivery Committee monitor the implementation of the Plan and are responsible for exchanges with the EU institutions, responsibility for implementing the individual measures lies with the relevant Departments and bodies.

The delivery of the plan is well underway. Ireland’s first payment request was formally submitted on 7 September 2023. There are 41 milestones and targets with a value of €324m in this request. The payment request is currently undergoing detailed assessment by the Commission and, following this, by other Member States through the Economic Policy (EPC) and the Economic and Financial (EFC) committees of ECOFIN.