Minister Howlin announces approval of the National Shared Services Office Bill 2016
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Ó: An Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí, Seachadta ar an bPlean Forbartha Náisiúnta, agus Athchóirithe
- Foilsithe: 26 Eanáir 2016
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 11 Aibreán 2025
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, today (26 January 2016) announced that the government has approved the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) Bill 2016.
Minister Howlin stated:
“I welcome the approval of this Bill as shared services has been a key element of the government’s Public Service Reform Programme since 2011, and today is an important step in delivering the government’s vision for shared services in the public service.”
The National Shared Services Office Bill 2016 provides for the establishment of the NSSO as a separate Civil Service Office, under the aegis of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, with its own Accounting Officer.
The NSSO delivers shared services within the civil service, currently through its two shared services centres: PeoplePoint and the Payroll Shared Services Centre.
It also oversees the implementation of government policy for shared services across the Irish public service. The education, health and local government sectors are also advancing shared service strategies, supported by the NSSO.
Shared services reduces the duplication of effort by consolidating transactional functions, such as finance, payroll and human resources, that enables quicker access to data and improved data quality through increased standardisation, specialisation, automation, and control.
Minister Howlin noted that:
“Independent research published in December confirmed the significant progress made in Ireland in delivering shared services in the public service in a short timeframe.
"The key finding of the report was that strong government and senior management support for shared services has ensured good progress, based on sound business cases, across a range of projects.
"I believe the government’s commitment to investing in shared services must be maintained in order to realise the full benefit of it and I look forward to the ongoing dividends that shared services will deliver.”
ENDS.
Notes to editor
- since the publication of the 2011 Public Service Reform Plan, four shared services organisations have been established, with more planned. Those established include: PeoplePoint (the HR and pensions administration Shared Service Centre) and the PSSC (the Payroll Shared Service Centre) in the civil service and Health Business Services (for the HSE) and MyPay (the Local Government Payroll and Superannuation Shared Service Centre) in the public service. A project is also underway to develop a Financial Management Shared Service Centre for the whole civil service
- shared services in the Irish public service is defined as the consolidation of corporate services into a Shared Services Centre administered by the public service, to enable increased standardisation, efficiency, purchasing power, service quality, automation, and control. It is a standard service model that can be found in use by governments internationally, including in the United Kingdom, the US, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Portugal and in other countries
- the report, ‘An Examination of Shared Services in the Irish Public Service and Internationally’ is available to download here
- the National Shared Services Bill 2016 will be available from www.oireachtas.ie