Debate contribution: Northern Ireland Civil Service: Reform

Debate contribution by Mr John O'Dowd on 3 February 2026.

MLA

Mr John O'Dowd

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

3 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Northern Ireland Civil Service: Reform

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5363173

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I welcome the opportunity to respond to the debate. I am grateful for the tone of the debate, which has been supportive of our Civil Service workers, who are doing their job in challenging circumstances. In that spirit, I begin by recognising the people behind the system. Just last week, I had the pleasure of presenting long-service awards to civil servants with decades of service — 50 years and more — who have quietly done a job for the people here, day in and day out. I was pleased to see other Ministers from across the Executive in attendance at that event in recognition of civil servants' valuable contribution. Their dedication is the foundation on which we are building further change and improvement. Everyone in the Chamber wants the Civil Service to be the best that it can be. I therefore welcome the Audit Office's follow-up report. At this stage, the Public Accounts Committee retains primacy over it, so I have to be careful not to pre-empt or prejudge any evidence that may be given at a subsequent PAC hearing. My comments today therefore reflect work that has been started, published or reported on. I am keen to maintain the momentum that has been built up by that work, but I am cognisant of any potential PAC processes and the protocols to be adhered to in that regard. The report reinforces the need for reform, which must be embraced not just by me as Finance Minister but by every Minister and every senior leader across the Civil Service. If responsibility for transformation is left to one Minister, one Department or one permanent secretary, the opportunities that it offers will not be realised. It has to be a collective responsibility, with all Ministers and Civil Service leaders working together to deliver the changes that we all agree are necessary. The Audit Office report confirms that, of the 23 recommendations set out in the previous report in 2020, five have been achieved, 13 have been partially achieved and five remain not yet achieved. Of the 12 PAC recommendations, three have been achieved, seven have been partially achieved and two remain not yet achieved. It is important to set out the context of what has happened during that time. We have to remember the impact of COVID and how our world was turned upside down during the pandemic. It also has to be recognised that the Civil Service stood up and was counted during the pandemic. Naturally, our focus turned to keeping people safe, supporting the most vulnerable in society, issuing grants to businesses and community groups and doing what we could to protect lives and livelihoods in the most difficult of times. There was limited bandwidth during the pandemic for Civil Service reform.

Our response to the Audit Office report must be anchored in the Civil Service people strategy 2025-2030, which a number of Members have acknowledged and which I launched last year. It is a comprehensive, outcome-focused change programme that is already addressing the Audit Office findings and those of the PAC and incorporating lessons from previous inquiries. Its aims are pragmatic and precise, and the actions in it have set time frames: a decisive shift from reactive to planned workforce management and a better match of skills to meet the size and shape of the organisation, so that efficiency, effectiveness and value for money rise together. I acknowledge what a number of Members have said about what the term "efficiency" means to them. To me, an efficient organisation is an organisation that supports its workers and delivery of services; it is not about asking people to do more with less. Critically, the people strategy is aligned with Integr8, the transformation programme that will modernise process delivery and data use and provide an integrated HR and finance technology solution to replace legacy systems. Integr8 will streamline processes; embed modern best practice; reduce manual reconciliation; enhance user experience; and create a single source of truth for roles, skills and costs. HR components will go live from late 2027, locking in the benefits of the reforms that I will describe by giving leaders the data and tools to plan and deliver with confidence. Members have called for a time-bound plan to reform workforce planning across the Civil Service. I can set that out clearly today, mindful of my previous comments about the role of the PAC in future reports. My Department now has in place the foundations for an agreed strategic workforce plan vision: published guidance; a cross-departmental working group; an active community of practice; a piloted critical-roles tool; and, crucially, the affordable baseline agreed last November. The next phase is delivery. I agree with Members that review upon review upon review becomes tiresome for the public, us as legislators and staff; it is now time for delivery. My Department has asked all Departments to begin strategic workforce planning now, using the guidance and data already available rather than waiting for perfect conditions. That, in some ways, responds to Mr Kingston's concern that he gets one answer from me and another from other Departments. Guidance is now available to all Departments. There is a responsibility on senior civil servants to sit down with one another and engage on that guidance, if there are concerns or misunderstandings about it. I will certainly play my part in that as a political leader.

904 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:30 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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