Taoiseach Calls For OECD Review Of Public Services

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D., has confirmed that he has invited the OECD to undertake a major review of the Irish Public Service. The review will have two main objectives:

1. to benchmark the Public Service in Ireland against other comparable countries; and
2. to make recommendations as to future directions for Public Service reform.

The scope of the study makes it the first of its kind to be undertaken by the OECD. Announcing the Review, the Taoiseach said: "The Government is investing unprecedented levels of resources in public services. But problems remain - mainly with delivery on the ground and maximising return on investment. We want the OECD to examine rigorously the connections between the investment decisions that are being made at the Cabinet table in Government Buildings and delivery on the ground around the country in the key areas and issues affecting ordinary people."

This Review marks a new phase in the sustained reform of the Public Service over the last decade. The Review will cover the whole of the Public Service. While the review will not be a detailed audit of individual sectors such as health, education, local government etc, it will examine the effectiveness of arrangements through which government objectives are translated into outputs and outcomes. It will focus on the connections between the different sectors including the links between Departments and Local Government, Health and Education Sectors, with a particular focus on delivery of quality public services. The Taoiseach said: "We have already reviewed many individual sectors and parts of our public service system. We now want to take stock and see how does the system as a whole work."

The OECD Review is one of four initiatives announced by the Taoiseach. The other measures include a system of organisational reviews or "health checks" for public service bodies, better performance indicators including aggregate indicators to show the combined impact of spending in particular areas and a leadership program to ensure that leaders are fully developed at all levels in the Public Service in the coming years. These are at an advanced stage of preparation and will be the subject of further announcements in 2007. The OECD Review will be supported by an advisory structure drawing on expertise from the business world, the academic community, the social partners and other stakeholders and will be led by the Secretary General to the Government.