Better Public Services article: State Agencies, Delivering for Ireland’s Future
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From: Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
- Published on: 20 January 2025
- Last updated on: 13 March 2025
More than 100 of Ireland’s Chief Executives of State Agencies and other senior Public and Civil Service leaders gathered in Athlone in October 2024 to discuss Civil and Public Sector innovation and transformation. The two-day event, ‘Delivering for Ireland’s future’ conference was organised by the Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies, (ACESA).
The need to define and deliver ‘public value’, and the appetite for risk, innovation and deep collaboration were among the themes of the discussions. According to Rosalind Carroll, Chair of the Association, and the CEO of the Injuries Resolution Board, ACESA organised the conference to facilitate a space for its members and other leaders to think critically about how to meet the challenges and opportunities facing Ireland.
“Ireland faces huge challenges in the coming years, and government agencies and central government will need to have the confidence and courage to take risks and innovate to meet them.
For real change to happen, it takes courage and an appetite for risk. Ireland’s recent history shows that real change can be made. Second-level education being made free in 1967, the introduction of the plastic bag levy in 2002 and the publication of the 2021 Climate Action Plan are all examples of milestones in public policy change.”
To make sure we have public services that meet the needs of people in a fast-changing environment, it will also require collaboration across the civil and public sector and across agencies and as public sector leaders we need to lead the way on this,” says Rosalind.
The role of risk and innovation, Ireland’s competitiveness, achieving value for the public, and the impact of changing demographics and the climate challenge were among the topics on the agenda of the two-day conference.
The keynote speaker at the conference was eminent research professor of public management at the Kennedy School at Harvard University, Mark Moore, who gave an address on delivering public sector value and led an interactive workshop with conference delegates.
Other keynotes and panel discussions also took place over the two days, including an address from then Minister Roderic O’Gorman TD, who spoke of his and the government’s commitment to driving world class public services.
Panels and speakers included:
- The impact of changing demographics on public service delivery, with Teresa Buczkowska, migrant political participation coordinator with the Immigrant Council of Ireland; Émer Deane, assistant secretary, British and Northern Ireland Affairs Division at the Department of An Taoiseach; and Professor Patrick Paul Walsh from UCD School of Politics and International Relations.
- The role of innovation and risk in delivering public services, with Declan Hughes, secretary general at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Marianne Cassidy, assistant secretary at the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform; Denis Dullea, Ericsson; Barry Kennedy, CEO, Irish Manufacturing Research; Ruth Kennedy, a commissioner at the Office of the Revenue Commissioners; and Brendan Tuohy, chair, Eirgrid PLC.
- Climate change and public services, with Oonagh Buckley, secretary general at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications; Diarmuid Torney, School of Law and Government, DCU; Vice Admiral (Rtd) Mark Mellett DSM PhD, Irish Management Institute council chair; Sabrina Dekker, Climate Action Coordinator, Dublin City Council; and William Walsh, CEO, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
The conference was also addressed by Frances Ruane, chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, and non-executive member of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Board, and Sarah Glavey, head of public service transformation policy at the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.
Reflecting on his participation at the conference, Professor Mark Moore emphasised that the best route for Ireland to deliver public value is to drive deep and meaningful collaboration.
“It requires different forms of leadership and joint action that do not depend on a single individual who is granted hierarchical control over the relevant assets. This is the public leadership, and the public itself, that needs to be called into existence by circumstances that require collective public action”.
A more detailed reflection of the conference penned by Professor Mark Moore, ‘Supporting the creation of public value with Ireland’s senior public leaders' can be read on the Eolas Magazine website.
About the Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies
The Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies provides a forum for chief executives to discuss issues of mutual concern and enables them to develop and express a collective voice on issues that affect the sector. ACESA achieves this by hosting briefing sessions on topics of common interest to CEOs, conducting an annual survey to learn more about the issues impacting on the work of CEOs and government agencies, and by providing support and an information network for members. See the ACESA website for more information.