Posts tagged ‘Reform’
Justice, Justice reform, Reform: Reforming justice
Friday, August 31st, 2012More “smart and dynamic reform” is needed to improve services for the public, according to Justice Minister Alan Shatter. Meadhbh Monahan reports. Prison refurbishments, providing alternatives to custody, closing garda stations and court reforms are underway in order to ensure that services are “more customer-focused, leaner, better integrated and delivering value for money.” Alan Shatter addressed an eolas justice seminar in June, impressing on delegates the need for all justice sector bodies “to challenge assumptions and ask harder questions of ourselves and our colleagues.”...[full story]
Innovation, Public sector, Reform: A single view of reform
Friday, August 31st, 2012Eight months after the Public Service Reform Plan, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Secretary General Robert Watt and Assistant Secretary Paul Reid discuss progress with Owen McQuade. “The demand for public services is greater than ever,” reports Robert Watt, Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In order to achieve sustained reform of the Public Service (i.e. the Civil Service and public service agencies such as An Garda Síochana, the HSE and local government), business practices must be altered as well as the way in which the Civil Service...[full story]
Public sector, Reform, Technology: Next steps to the cloud
Friday, August 31st, 2012Cloud computing is not yet mature enough for use in government but the Public Service is preparing for its eventual implementation. Government strategies often declare themselves to be the last word in policy: the completion of a round of research, discussions and consultations. Not so with the cloud computing strategy which sees itself as part of a bigger conversation where the Government has no “monopoly on good ideas”. The implication is that the sector must continuously innovate and improve, as part of the drive to make Ireland a world leader in cloud computing. Suggestions...[full story]
ICT, Innovation, Public sector, Reform: Progressing the reform agenda
Friday, August 31st, 2012Tim Duggan tells Meadhbh Monahan how the e-government and cloud computing strategies form the primary focus of the Public Service’s ICT agenda and that buy-in from officials should ensure effective reform. “The big trends in IT in the public service include cloud computing, mobile computing, greater electronic delivery of services, and shared approaches. Both the e-government and cloud computing strategies have those themes at their cores,” Tim Duggan tells eolas. Duggan is Assistant Secretary with responsibility for the Centre for Management and Organisation Development (CMOD)...[full story]
Reform: Public sector
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011There is a need for more leadership on public sector reform according to attendees at an eolas event on the subject. Meadhbh Monahan reports. A gathering of officials from central and local government, the wider public sector, the unions and private sector bodies has agreed that public sector reform is essential in aiding economic recovery. “People are up for reform” of the public sector, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Secretary-General Robert Watt told eolas. However, there is a need for more “buy-in” from senior management. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform...[full story]
Reform: New era for child protection laws
Friday, August 19th, 2011With another major report on child abuse within the Catholic Church recently published, the Government is planning reforms of the child protection laws in Ireland. Stephen Dineen reports. One of the notable changes to department structures brought in by the new Government was the establishment of a Department of Children and Youth Affairs, elevating the previously ‘super junior’ portfolio to a senior ministry. The Minister, Frances Fitzgerald, has had plenty to deal with since her appointment in March, not least the issue of child abuse and child protection laws. The Government has...[full story]
Reform: Next Generation Ireland
Friday, May 13th, 2011Ireland’s public services need to be transformed rather than reformed, writes economist Ronan Lyons who calls for government to work back from 2030 to today. Crisis presents opportunity. Ireland is at a crossroads in the early 2010s, just as it was in the late 1950s and again in the 1980s. And just as in both of those previous generations, Ireland can take the opportunity presented in the moment of crisis. If we think ahead to the Ireland of the 2020s and 2030s, there are many changes we will need to make. The challenges range from responding to climate change to ensuring peace in...[full story]
Reform: Re-inventing government
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010With Fine Gael likely to be part of the next Government, eolas reviews the party’s ambitions for radical reform. Fine Gael’s 86-page reform document was seen as their chance to shine, but an embarrassing interview on RTÉ by leader Enda Kenny and the burgeoning concern about whether Ireland will have to go to the EU or the IMF for a bailout, meant that it quickly left the spotlight. ‘Reinventing Government: protecting services and getting the economy back on track’ contains 100 proposals aiming to cut 30,000 public sector jobs and 145 public bodies. Fine Gael believes that €5...[full story]
