Public Service Reform

The Chief Secretary’s Office is leading a programme of public service reform. We want to be as efficient and effective as possible in the way that we work and focus our delivery of services around the needs of the people we serve.

We are working closely with all Government Departments, Boards and Offices to develop a corporate, strategic approach to improved service standards and better use of technology in service delivery. The use of technology plays a vital role in the future of Government’s service delivery; a close partnership with the Information Systems Division of the Department of Economic Development is therefore vital.

We are working towards a strategy for delivering Government services across a range of convenient and accessible channels – for example, one stop shops, single telephone contact numbers, the internet - in a coherent and joined-up manner. We will also be refocusing on benefits-driven investment in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), ensuring that where Government plans to spend money on ICT, a comprehensive plan for benefits realisation must first form part of the business case.

The change in the economic climate has meant that efficiency in the delivery of service has become a primary focus for Government. The next 12 months will focus on delivering projects to achieve this.

Business Change Division

A Business Change Manager was appointed in July 2008 to lead the development of a shared vision for the joined-up delivery of customer-focused public services and to develop the strategy for embedding cultural and organisational change within Government. This is known as the ‘Transforming Government’ programme.

A key aim of the Transforming Government programme is to help deliver efficiencies through the use of Business Process Analysis, effective use of technology and the use, where appropriate, of internal shared services.