Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform: Programme for Government - Our Shared Future

The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform's commitments under the programme for government for the 33rd Dáil.

1) Ensure that these new measures are used in a systematic way across government policy-making at local and national levels, in setting budgetary priorities, evaluating programmes and reporting progress.

2) Enable schools, workplaces and other institutions to stagger opening and closing times.

3) The main tool of boosting job creation and job retention will be the Recovery Fund. The Recovery Fund will be a targeted stimulus to increase domestic demand and employment. This Fund will drive strategic change through SMEs, accelerating job creation, decarbonising the economy, and ensuring that Ireland is at the forefront of a digital future. Delivering balanced regional growth will be a crucial priority of this Fund. The Recovery Fund will be available for 2020, 2021 and 2022. It will fund investment for both current and capital projects and will adjust in size, as our economy grows and employment recovers. The Recovery Fund will have three different elements - Infrastructure Development; Reskilling and Retraining; and Supporting Investment.

4) Recovery Fund - Infrastructure Development - Prioritise productive and labour intensive capital investment projects focused on areas such as housing, retrofitting and public and active transport to directly assist and maintain employment, but support future employment.

5) Establish sectoral taskforces, comprising government, independent experts and stakeholders and chaired by line ministers, to focus on the specific needs of sectors and to bring forward plans in the context of the National Economic Plan.

6) Mobilise agencies, public and private, to focus on strengthening the capacity of enterprises in critical areas and encourage the uptake of structural changes that will make enterprises more resilient for the longer term.

7) At Budget 2021, as we have greater clarity on the likely economic impact of the COVID-19 Emergency domestically and internationally, set out a medium-term roadmap detailing how Ireland will reduce the deficit and return to a broadly balanced budget.

8) Examine, in advance of Budget 2022, appropriate funding measures to support the implementation of Sláintecare.

9) Seek to negotiate a new public pay deal with the public service unions, guided by the State’s financial position and outlook, challenges in relation to recruitment and retention, and conditions within the broader labour market. The State's approach to the negotiations will be anchored in the respect for the important role played by public servants. As part of any pay deal, ensure that there is an emphasis on embedding positive work practice changes that have emerged from the COVID-19 Emergency, as well as general productivity gains and effectiveness, based on measurable outcomes. Introduce a bargaining clause in the new agreement to make progress on sectoral issues.

10) Each minister will be required to produce service improvement and reform plans in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

11) Each department must include overspends within the budgetary year in their department's budgetary plans each year, in line with changes in Budget 2020.

12) Update all procurement frameworks in line with green procurement practice over the next three years.

13) Bring forward the review of the National Development Plan (NDP) from 2022. Use the review to set out an updated NDP for the period to 2031 aligned with the National Planning Framework (NPF)."

14) Drive digital transformation in the public service, with greater integration of digital services.

15) Direct the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) to support the adoption of new technologies through the development of new public service frameworks.

16) Every minister will make climate action a core pillar of their new departmental strategies, which must be produced within six months of the government taking office.

17) Each minister will direct each of the agencies and offices under their department to adopt a climate mandate, under which those bodies will seek to support climate action within their own operations and among their clients and suppliers.

18) Ensure that the LDA is subject to Freedom of Information.

19) Work to enhance productivity in the construction sector, including utilising modern methods of construction. This work will be guided by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

20) Ensure that policy and planning across Government, in relation to the future provision of services and infrastructure, will be fully aligned with the National Planning Framework to ensure balanced and sustainable development in Ireland over the next 20 years.

21) Develop the cities of Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway as viable alternatives to Dublin, and use Project Ireland 2040 to help regional towns prosper.

22) Continue the Project Ireland 2040 Rural and Regeneration Fund and Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.

23) Recognise the importance of agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and other sectors that support balanced regional development and employment.

24) Invest in infrastructure, including broadband and waste and wastewater infrastructure, to support the development of rural towns and villages.

25) Mandate public sector employers, colleges, and other public bodies to move to 20% home and remote working in 2021.

26) Expand the Equality Budgeting Programme across government departments and agencies.

27) Work towards physical accessibility to all government departments, local authorities and agencies providing services.

28) Expand the Equality Budgeting Initiative, looking at outcomes of expenditure, as they relate to people with a disability.

29) Ensure that each government department maintains strong links with its Northern Ireland counterpart.

30) Develop structures for regular meetings at Heads of Government, Ministerial and Senior Official levels, to take forward agreed programmes of work on matters of practical cooperation.

31) Prioritise regular bilateral engagements between the Irish and British Governments across all sectors.

32) Ensure the continued effective operation of the Common Travel Area and reciprocal rights between Ireland and Britain across areas such as social protection, education and training and health care.

33) Upon completion of the Commission's work, a permanent pay review body will be established, reflecting the unique nature of military service in the context of the public service. All recommendations by the Commission or the successor body and their implementation must be consistent with national public sector wage policy.

34) Reform and consolidate the Ethics in Public Office legislation.

35) Introduce a plain language requirement for all public service communication, so that people can understand information the first time they read or hear it. Using plain language saves time and money and reduces mistakes and complaints. Consult with NALA.

36) Extend the lobbying register so that the lobbying of senior officials in bodies like the Central Bank of Ireland, ComReg, the NTA and the HSE, which have significant policymaking or development functions, will need to be reported on the same basis as central and local government.

37) Use the opportunity of the EU consideration of reforms to European-wide whistleblowing provisions to review, update and reform our whistleblowing legislation and ensure that it remains as effective as possible.

38) Introduce targets to increase the proportion of public and civil servants from ethnic minority backgrounds.

39) Continue and reinvigorate participation by the public sector in Open Government Partnership.

40) Further develop the integration of digital services in Government and the creation of a single digital unit to drive more public services online.

41) Strengthen evaluation of government departments’ performance by making programme reviews more systematic, covering multi-year cycles, and focusing on SMART performance indicators.

42) Create a strategic policy unit for the complex data analysis, programme evaluation and policy development within each department charged with delivery in such core areas.

43) Introduce a more open budgetary process, less dominated by ‘existing level of service’, with small incremental additions each year, but focused on major public goals and proven policy performance.

44) Work with the public service to promote structures for talent-development and further encourage the recruitment of talent from outside.

45) Mandate public sector employers, colleges, and other public bodies to move to 20% home and remote working in 2021 and provide incentives for private sector employers to do likewise.

46) Establish a policy innovation office within the public service, primarily staffed by expertise seconded from academia, the NGO and the private sector, as well as other national governments and institutions, to take a challenge-based approach to the major issues facing the country. We can learn in particular from the COVID-19 cross-governmental response.

47) Prioritise cross-public service collaboration to enhance the whole-of-government strategic ownership and delivery of public policy priorities.

48) Provide for a paid internship programme within government departments, targeted at migrant communities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.