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Howlin and Barroso address EU seminar on Public Service innovation

Brendan Howlin TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, today spoke of the progress made in reforming the Irish Public Service and in re-building Ireland’s economy.

The task is considerable but, given the situation we face, radical, far-reaching and sustainable change in the Public Service is not an optional ‘add-on’ but a key part of the overall strategic response to the challenges the country continues to face.

Minister Howlin was speaking in Brussels after addressing a high level seminar on Public Service innovation organised by the Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA) which was also addressed by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

The Minister said that innovation is the key to delivering better services that meet the needs of the community in an environment of limited resources.  It is vital in today’s context of tightened budgets and reduced public service resources. By embracing innovation, the public sector will be in the best possible position to deliver targeted, customer-focused services to its customers and provide forward thinking advice to Government.

Across the European Union, we share the challenge of delivering quality public services in the face of increasing demand, limited resources and unprecedented change.  This means we must be innovative.  We must work differently, we must try new things and we must be prepared to learn from our mistakes.

Reflecting on the recent Irish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, Minister Howlin said:

Over the last six months, we have worked hard to make our Presidency make a difference to Europe.  We wanted to make it matter.

The Minister said he was particularly proud of the progress made on the Cohesion legislative package, which will unlock €325 billion of European Investment and Structural Funds, and the agreement on Public Procurement which offers a significant opportunity to foster growth and create employment across Europe, and he thanked his officials for their work on these key dossiers.

Now that we have reached the end of our Presidency, I am determined that we build on our engagement with the institutions of the European Union, that we continue to work closely with our European partners, and that we learn from our European colleagues.

Note to Editors

The Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA) is a service of the European Commission, reporting directly to the President of the Commission and under his authority.  The Bureau is composed of a professional staff of advisers, policy analysts and support staff whose role is to provide professional advice to the President and the Commissioners and to formulate recommendations on issues regarding the policy of the European Union.

On 9 July 2013 BEPA hosted a high level seminar on Public Service innovation in Brussels which was addressed by Minister Howlin. The Minister’s speech can be accessed via the Departments website  http://per.gov.ie/