In November, 2008, the Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, T.D., launched the report of the Task Force on the Public Service:'Transforming Public Services – Citizen Centred – Performance Focused’ and the associated Government Statement on Transforming Public Services. The Task Force’s Report and the Government Statement are the ‘Transforming Public Services’ programme. It provides the framework for a comprehensive new approach to the reform of the Public Service, and takes into account the analysis and conclusions of the OECD Review of the Irish Public Service, as well as the lessons to be drawn from the Organisational Review Programme and the Efficiency Review Process. Its measures represent a challenging agenda for change in the Public Service and the actions set out in ‘Transforming Public Services’ are designed to:
- Achieve improved performance by organisations and individuals;
- Create flexibility in the deployment of people, assets and other resources;
- Identify the precise transformation agenda in each sector and engage and mobilise the necessary actors; and
- Achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and economy.
They are also designed to build capacity for ongoing transformation, through a focus on:
- Promoting a shared identity, ethos and vision by focusing on the joint achievement of societal goals;
- Developing leaders at every level of organisation;
- Empowering employees through mobility, shared performance data and training;
- Developing performance metrics which are meaningful to the citizen;
- Increasing organisational and individual accountability for achieving performance targets;
- Promoting longer term planning;
- Innovation, shared governance, networks and collaborative working; and
- Sharing infrastructure and new technologies.
Implementation of ‘Transforming Public Services’ is being overseen by the Cabinet Committee on Transforming Public Services, chaired by the Taoiseach. The work of the Cabinet Committee is being supported by the newly established Programme Office, which is based in the Department of the Taoiseach.
The Task Force on the Public Service was established in May 2008 by the Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, T.D., to develop an Action Plan for the Public Service drawing on the analysis and recommendations of the OECD Review of the Public Service.
In 2006, the Taoiseach announced a major system-level review of the Irish Public Service by the OECD. The OECD Review of the Irish Public Service 'Towards an Integrated Public Service' was published in April 2008. It benchmarked the Public Service in Ireland against other comparable countries, and made recommendations as to the future direction of public service reform. The first ever Review by the OECD of the Irish Public Service is a comprehensive assessment of the Irish Public Service which confirms the many strengths of the system and identifies challenges which need to be addressed.
Prior to the launch of the ‘Transforming Public Services’ Programme, the modernisation programme of the Irish Public Service over the past 15 years was grounded in the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI).
The implementation of the modernisation agenda has been, and continues to be, driven by the various partnership agreements across the Public Service. The current social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, builds on the progress made under previous agreements and ensures continued co-operation with change and modernisation initiatives as well as improvements in productivity right across the Public Service.