Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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200. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide Ireland's full indicator-level scores under the Blavatnik Index of Public Administration for 2024, disaggregated by theme; and to outline which underlying domains contributed most to Ireland's overall ranking. [68043/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The NCPC is currently developing a research bulletin examining the performance of Ireland’s public sector, informed by a new international benchmarking measure: the Blavatnik Index of Public Administration.

The Blavatnik Index applies a newly developed analytical framework drawing on 82 metrics across 17 data sources. As of 2024, Ireland ranks 24th out of 120 countries. The results highlight strong performance in HR Management (4th), Diversity and Inclusion (5th), and Tax Administration (3rd), alongside weaker outcomes in Digital Services (83rd), Procurement (77th), and Technology and Workplaces (108th).

Looking beyond the headline results, however, we can see a more nuanced picture. Many themes lack the necessary data to draw authoritative conclusions. More recent data from other sources – or more recent developments – often show Ireland's performance improving. In its work, the NCPC regularly 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.

More information on the Blavatnik Index, including access to all scores and rankings, can be found on the relevant website: .