merrion street

Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), travels to London today for discussions with Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office in the UK Government.

Minister Hayes said “Following on from this morning’s publication of the Progress Report on Public Service Reform and Public Expenditure Savings, I am looking forward to meeting with my counterpart, Minister Maude, today to discuss issues relevant to both of our offices. We will be concentrating primarily on property and procurement areas.”

“On the agenda will be the progress being made on the ongoing reduction of Government accommodation costs, approaches to measurement and accountability, discussions on space norms and the use of open plan accommodation in Government buildings and the core challenges that both administrations are encountering.”

The Minister continued: “We will also be looking at shared experiences in the area of procurement, and outlining details of the forthcoming establishment in this country of the National Procurement Office and the appointment of a Chief Procurement Officer. We also intend to discuss the ongoing supplier dividend initiative. I very much welcome opportunities such as this to meet with Minister Maude and his officials and to learn from the UK’s experience in areas that we are continuing to focus on in our own country.”