James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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307. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will detail whether any surveys have been carried out to estimate the amount of time taken up with administrative tasks where such time could be used more efficiently; if so, in which areas of the Department has this examination been carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18495/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's business priorities are to continually improve services to customers in an agile

manner to best meet the needs of our customers in a cost-effective and efficient manner and to support the delivery of Government policy.

My Department, as an ongoing focus, uses business process review and improvement as well as technology to achieve efficiencies and to alleviate or eliminate repetitive administrative tasks, speeding up processes for customers, and facilitating staff to undertake work of higher value.

My Department is currently undertaking a significant workforce planning project to identify and forecast necessary skills, resources and gaps to support staff recruitment and development. In developing this strategic plan, it is important to capture and understand how work is currently done and the ways of working of a number of key operational areas have been assessed to identify further opportunities to drive efficiency and effectiveness. My Department is also implementing a comprehensive digital strategy, providing schemes and services online as an effective channel of choice for customers. The focus on improvement to maximise efficiency is an ongoing priority across my Department.