Civil Service Renewal Plan
A Vision and Three Year Action Plan for the Civil Service –
October 2014
Development of Plan
 Civil Service Renewal Taskforce;
 Engagement Process – “Town Hall” Meetings;
 Key Challenge is to Strengthen:
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Capacity;
Capability;
Accountability; and
Leadership;
 Independent Panel on strengthening Civil Service
Accountability and Performance
Civil Service Statistics
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34,707 employed in whole-time equivalents;
1% abroad, 53% outside Dublin & 46% in Dublin
73% aged 40+;
60% are women & 1/3rd of Senior managers are women;
1 in 5 have over 30 years service;
1/8th will reach 60 years of age in the next 6 years;
<2% of the total national workforce;
€53 billion of public expenditure managed by the civil
service in 2013
Operating Environment
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Economic Crisis – 6 years of austerity!
Robust Reform Agenda;
“Doing Better with less”;
Hostility from the media;
Greater levels of expectation;
Cost extraction;
Significantly reduced resources.
Action under 4 Headings
Identified in Plan
• A Unified Civil Service;
• A Professional Civil
Service;
• A Responsive Civil Service;
• An Open and Accountable
Civil Service;
New Challenges for the Civil Service
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Fiscal Restraint & Cost Reduction;
Multiple major reform programmes;
Influencing international policy choices;
Anticipating future challenges and maintaining a longterm strategic view;
 Raising morale and productivity amongst staff; and
 Restoring public confidence and trust
Civil Service Mission
 Objective and evidence informed advice to
Government;
 Serving citizens and stakeholders in a system that is
open accountable and transparent.
Commitments to Staff
 Encourage creative thinking and innovation;
 Merit based recruitment and life long learning;
 Nurturing and rewarding talent.
Strategic HR Capability
 Strategic HR Model within the Department of Public
Expenditure and Reform;
 New HR Professional Stream;
 Leadership Supports to Develop HR Capabilities;
 Simplify Central HR policies;
 Share best practice in people management.
Open Recruitment and Promotion
 Open competitions or civil service wide interdepartmental competitions;
 Improve gender balance at each level;
 Establish A Graduate Programme;
 Review recruitment processes.
Learning and Development
 Develop a unified Learning and Development
Strategy;
 Establish a new shared delivery model with greater
emphasis on evaluation of outcomes;
 Undertake Regular Skills Audits and establish Skills
Register;
 Review Civil Service Competency Framework;
 Induction Programme and Continuing Professional
Development (CPD).
Talent Management Programmes
 Development centre Approach to Leadership for
senior managers;
 Initiate similar schemes for more junior levels;
 Selection for Programmes based on merit;
Performance Management
 Replace rating system with new Assessment Model;
 Revise feedback mechanisms;
 Revise Disciplinary Code to enable more effective
action on under-performance;
 More support for managers;
 Simplify performance management system
Other Issues
 Performance Review process for Secretaries General
and Assistant Secretaries;
 Public Recognition for Staff excellence and
innovation;
 Strengthen expertise in Corporate functions;
 Expand career mobility opportunities;
 Re-design organisational and grade structures;
Other Issues (Continued)
 Improve Project Management Capacity;
 Delegate more responsibility to Departments and
agencies;
 Improve ICT capacity by creating common systems
and infrastructure;
 Organisational Capability Reviews;
 Publish framework for assignment of responsibilities
for all Departments;
Nominated Civil Service
Spokesperson
Spokesperson selected is Robert Watt,
Secretary General of the Department
of Public Expenditure and Reform.
Oversight Arrangements
Accountability Board
 To Strengthen Performance and
Accountability;
 Chaired by Taoiseach plus civil
service and external
membership;
 Focus on limited number of
“cross-cutting” priorities and
capacity to deliver including
performance management for
Secretaries General.
Management Board
 To strengthen Collective
Leadership;
 Chaired by the Secretary General
to the Government;
 Focus on managing the
performance and operation of
the civil service.
Implementation
 Civil Service Management Board;
 Secretaries General of the Departments of the
Taoiseach of Public Expenditure and Reform;
 Regular reports to Taoiseach and Minister for Public
Expenditure and Reform;
 Secretaries General & Project Managers for specific
actions assigned to them;
 Regular engagement with staff