Government sources indicated yesterday that the package is "designed to address the immediate priority of securing maximum value for public spending and laying the foundation for a complete overhaul of how the public service is managed and does its business".
However, those who have been campaigning for public service reform will be disappointed that the package does not appear to include any element of staff reduction through redundancies.
Among the measures to be announced by the Taoiseach on November 26 are:
- An independent examination of staffing levels across all parts of the public service to identify posts and activities that may not be essential.
- Provision for redeployment of staff where posts are no longer necessary, when there is other necessary work to be done.
- A new drive to secure savings through the adoption of shared services across the public service so that support activities -- like finance and HR -- are more efficient and cost the taxpayer less.
- A new programme to reduce administrative burdens on business and citizens.
- A special emphasis on joining up services offered by different agencies to the same groups of citizens.
- Making the public service more accountable for what it actually does and what it produces rather than simply on the amount of money it spends.
The Taoiseach believes that the current financial and economic circumstances make radical reform now urgent and necessary, the sources said. The Government will be meeting with public service unions to seek their engagement in the reform process.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Willie Kealy
Quelle/Source: Independent, 16.11.2008
