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The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, today (Monday 28th September), launched the OPS2020Selected Indicators & Trends Report. This was prepared by his Department’s Reform Division, in cooperation with stakeholders, to support the Government’s public service reform agenda. A Working Group, chaired by Dr Richard Boyle of the Institute of Public Administration and including senior statisticians and officials from across the public service,  provided guidance and advice on the types of indicators chosen for the Selected Indicators & Trends Report.

Our Public Service 2020 (OPS2020) is the current framework for Public Service reform. It has a strengthened focus on evaluating the effectiveness of reform actions in bringing about tangible change and outcomes for citizens.  Indicators that are quantifiable and outcome-based help to show whether progress is being made towards achieving the goals set out in the reform programme. The OPS2020 Selected Indicators & Trends Report maps a range of existing indicators to the reform actions that are set out in OPS2020.

Welcoming the report, the Minister said:

We are delighted to launch this report showing the great progress being made in progressing reform  in our public service organisations. Some of the indicators are especially relevant to the current circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. These indicators show the significant progress that is being made in area such as;

• visitors to the Open Data Portal
• number of page views of Gov.ie
• number of MyWelfare logins;
• number of MyGovID accounts etc.

Others are of a broader relevance and also indicate positive upward trends in areas such as:  most trusted professions; global competitiveness; investment in research and development; PPSN coverage; EIRCODE coverage and usage; HR Shared Services coverage; Payroll Shared Services coverage; and IGEES staff numbers.

Each organisation in the Public Service is asked to consider how they measure their progress under the reform agenda set out in OPS2020.  The Selected Indicators & Trends Report is a tool to facilitate this.  It is hoped that it will promote discussion within  public service organisations about the importance of evaluation and how insightful metrics may be developed to reflect the progress made towards OPS2020’s targeted outcomes

In conclusion the Minister added;

Today’s publication reflects in some way the extraordinary response of our public servants and their organisations to the Covid pandemic and we can be  proud of the great work that is underway and the progress being made. Looking to the future, collating and evaluating the speed and quality of responses in different organisations and sectors would be invaluable in helping to navigate the post-pandemic environment.  It would also help to inform the potential for sustaining new ways of working and new ways of delivering public services to our citizens. I believe that the publication today of the  Selected Indicators & Trends Report will be of considerable assistance in this regard.

Notes for EditorsOur Public Service 2020 Our Public Service 2020 is the policy framework designed to build on previous reform programmes while expanding the scope of reform to focus on collaboration, innovation and evaluation. For more information visit here.