Written answers

Tuesday, 25 November 2025

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Public Sector Staff

Photo of Ken O'FlynnKen O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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320. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council’s Competitiveness Bulletin on public-sector performance will be published (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65728/25]

Photo of Ken O'FlynnKen O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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321. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide Ireland’s scores and rankings under the Blavatnik Index of Public Administration for each year since the index was first produced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65729/25]

Photo of Peter BurkePeter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 321 together.

An effective public administration system is crucial for both economic management and broader societal wellbeing. It provides the institutional foundations that underpin our national competitiveness and productivity, and creates the conditions needed to attract investment, foster innovation, and support sustainable growth.

The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) is currently developing a research bulletin examining the performance of Ireland’s public sector. This work is informed by the new Blavatnik Index of Public Administration, which applies a newly developed analytical framework that draws on 82 metrics across 17 data sources.

As this is a new measure, data is only available for 2024. Ireland ranks 24th out of 120 countries. The results highlight strong performance in HR Management, Diversity and Inclusion, and Tax Administration, alongside weaker outcomes in Digital Services, Procurement, and Technology and Workplaces. The timing of the publication of the NCPC bulletin is a matter for the Council, however, it is in the final stages of drafting and is expected to be available by the end of November.

The NCPC uses a wide variety of international benchmarks to contextualise Ireland’s performance and support evidence-based policymaking. As the Council notes, such indices can be valuable tools for identifying comparative strengths and vulnerabilities. However, given the developmental nature of the Blavatnik Index, it should be interpreted as a diagnostic tool rather than a definitive scorecard.

I look forward to the forthcoming publication of the NCPC bulletin and to continued engagement with the Council on this critically important issue.

Photo of Ken O'FlynnKen O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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322. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department will publish a time series of public-sector productivity indicators for the past ten years, broken down by major areas of public administration where possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65730/25]

Photo of Peter BurkePeter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Public sector productivity and performance is primarily a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The Public Service Performance Report (PSPR) facilitates the review of performance information presented by each Department and Office in the Revised Estimates for Public Services (REV). Performance reporting was first introduced in Ireland in 2012 as part of a suite of reforms to the Public Expenditure Framework. The first Public Service Performance Report (PSPR) was published in 2017. The latest Public Service Performance Report (2024) was published in June 2025. This report sets out annual performance in the major areas of public administration by Vote Group.

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