24 October, 2003

Mr Eddie Sullivan,
Secretary for Public Service Management and Development,
Department of Finance,
Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2.

Dear Eddie,

I refer to your letter of 14 October 2003 requesting a report on progress achieved in the period since Sustaining Progress was agreed.  I now attach three copies of the Progress Reports of the Office of the Attorney General, including the Law Reform Commission, and of the Chief State Solicitor’s Office dated 24 October, 2003, pursuant to our respective Action Plans for Sustaining Progress as agreed by the Civil Service Performance Verification Group on 24 September and published earlier.  The Progress Reports are formatted in the template designed by the CSPVG.  The Report of The Office of the Attorney General has added to it a column entitled Specific Progress/New Specific Actions in which progress achieved in relation to Specific Actions is detailed.  In completing the template, I found that it was suitable to make this addition in order properly to describe the actions that have been taken and progress achieved by my Office.  It was confirmed with the Secretariat to the CSPVG that this is in order.  The Report of Chief State Solicitor’s Office is in the original template form with progress recorded under the heading “Specific Action”.  Both Offices’ Progress Reports were submitted to the respective Management Advisory Committees and have been considered by the respective Partnership Committees.
The Law Reform Commission is a small grant-aided body under the aegis of the Office of the Attorney General.  The Chief State Solicitor’s Office is a constituent part of this Office.

The Progress Reports include verifiable progress achieved in relation to each of the specific actions set out in respect of the Commitments in the Action Plans. Also included are additional specific actions agreed by Partnership during the review process.  This letter provides a concise report which provides an assessment of the progress achieved in relation to each of the eight priorities identified in my letter of 12 September to the Secretariat to the Verification Group.  The period under review is relatively short in assessing actual outcomes but detailed listing of items where progress have been achieved during that period is quite considerable.  The detailed listing will also be useful in monitoring progress in implementing the various actions in the future.

The Office of the Attorney General and Chief State Solicitor’s Office have been busy for some considerable period in seeking in a planned manner to improve delivery on the main headings of the template including Customer Service, Efficient Use of Resources, Better Regulation,  Performance Management Systems, Modernisation and Flexibility, Team working, cross-functional and cross departmental working, New Technology and e-Government, Atypical Working Arrangements ,Management of the Introduction of Change and New Development, Improvements in Promotion Systems, Training, Partnership and Equality.  The Office has welcomed the opportunity provided by Sustaining Progress to demonstrate accelerated progress in these and other areas of its operation.   These major initiatives have been developed by and participated in with enthusiasm by the Office as a whole.  I can say that there is a serious commitment in the Office to its development so as to deliver the very best service to Government.

In particular, I would like to highlight the following matters which are of significance to the Office of the Attorney General.  It is important in assessing these matters to note that the Office of the Attorney General is not a Government Department delivering services to the public but a professional legal service to Government and to Government Departments and Offices.  These Departments and Offices do not in general have their own legal advisers and, where they do, they have limited functions.  In consequence, the Office of the Attorney General is required to provide a range of legal advisory, litigation and other solicitor services and legislative drafting services to the whole of Government in more or less every legal area of relevance to Government.

 I can confirm that there has been full compliance in the Office, the Law Reform Commission and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office with the industrial peace provisions of Sustaining Progress.  No barriers to change have been encountered but that is not to say that the process has been entirely easy in respect of achieving agreement on some aspects.  In this context I would like to acknowledge the co-operative spirit in which all staff members in the three organisations engaged, through the partnership approach, in ensuring that each specific action listed in Action Plans was progressed and in a number of circumstances in actually proposing additional commitments which will be pursued within agreed timescales.  The Offices from the outset adopted a specific role for the Partnership Committees in actively monitoring progress with a view to recommending to management appropriate mechanisms to achieve specific actions.  I would like to draw attention to the following areas where substantial progress has been made in respect of specific actions or where new commitments have been agreed.

In the interests of client service, the Office of the Attorney General has for some time organised itself so as to provide legal advice and legislative drafting services on a specialist basis.  It is recognised that it is simply not feasible for all lawyers in the Office to be required to advise in every area.  Advisory Counsel are therefore organised into five Groups who advise in designated specialist legal areas.  Parliamentary Counsel (legislative drafters) are divided into three groups who have designated to them specific Departments.  There is a Statute Law Revision Unit which has made a valuable contribution to the advancement of Better Regulation.  The lawyers in these three divisions of the Office work closely together in delivering legal services and with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office which is divided into five specialist legal divisions.  The Office of the Attorney General and Chief State Solicitor’s Office each has its own Administration.  The two Offices have the same Statement of Strategy and Annual Reports with the same Key Objectives designed to ensure delivery of the highest standard of professional legal service to Government and to the Departments and Offices who are their clients.  The Law Reform Commission has a separate Strategy and Business Plan 2003 – 2005.

I refer now to my letter to Mr Tony Gallagher of 12th September 2003 in which, as requested by you in your letter of 7th August 2003, I set out the priorities of the Offices to be pursued over the period of the Action Plan with a proposed methodology of assessment, indicators of the scale of efficiency gains and the scope for increased effectiveness of the Office’s activities.  

In drafting our Action Plans submitted in July 2003, specific actions were listed all of which have been progressed.  In addition, you will see in the column “Specific Progress/New Specific Actions” in the AGO Plan and under “Specific Action” in the CSSO Plan, it has been possible to add further specific actions since July.  Here, for brevity, I will only refer as requested, to progress on the priorities listed.

Case and Records Management System (CRMS)
Significant and rapid progress has been made in the development of the Case and Records Management System which covers all Office records, both legal and non-legal, for the Attorney General’s Office and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office.  The new Case and Records Management System is scheduled for full roll-out by July 2004.  The Case and Records Management System is the main project in the Office’s IT strategy for the period 2001-2005.  When the system is in place, it will standardise the flow of work within each Office and across the Offices and will provide a single electronic file on any particular matter available to be viewed and updated by any officer with authority to do so.  Whilst the actual efficiency gains and increased effectiveness of the organisation, though self-evident, activities will not be actually measurable until towards the end of 2004 when the system goes live, nonetheless, the Office is currently finalising reviews for the purposes of developing the system including 
•	business process reviews to ensure that the system supports the Office and that the benefits of the technology supplied will be maximised;  
•	reviews of current databases to ensure accuracy and currency of migration of information to the new system in due course; 
•	identification of integration requirements with other internal and external systems, in particular, e-Cabinet.  

To complement the Case and Records Management System an Office-wide Records Management Policy has been developed and is currently being finalised.  The master classification plan, recently prepared, will support the capture, organisation and management of information, knowledge and expertise.  It will facilitate a more effective handling, storage and recall of file information and will facilitate archiving and a fuller compliance with statutory archives duties in the Chief State Solicitor's Office.  In due course, a records management officer for each Office will be appointed.  

A case management system is an essential tool of a modern law practice and will bring best practice in case management to the Office as a whole.  When fully developed, the Case and Records Management System combined with the Records Policy will deliver immediate access on-screen to all file information and documentation, including across the boundaries between the Attorney General’s Office and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office.  The development of a single Case and Records Management System with a single electronic file on any particular matter will deliver efficiencies not currently available and will standardise the flow of work across the Offices allowing greater access to information.  It will provide much of the information required by MIF and will integrate at a high level with e-Legislation.  FMS and Knowledge Management. 
 
Performance indicators, taking account of the Office’s Statement of Strategy 2003 – 2005 are being drawn up and, on implementation and use of the system, outputs will be measurable in the way that they are not currently.  

Financial Management System
A new Financial Management System will be developed and be in place by September 2004 for the Attorney General’s Office and the Chief State Solicitor's Office as part of a wider implementation of MIF.  An Invitation to Tender issued on 1st August 2003.  Intensive evaluation of responses received is in train and a preferred vendor will be selected by early November 2003.  Finance Unit staff are currently being trained on the duties involved in operation of the new Financial Management System in order to take over the functions currently carried out on behalf of the Offices by the Department of Finance.  A joint project team for the Office as a whole will convene by the end of October to discuss and settle 
•	performance indicators
•	a Communications Strategy for FMS and 
•	Costing options.

The Offices, in line with the Government decision of 11th February 2003, reporting bi-monthly on progress on implementation of MIF.  MIF will allow for accurate and timely delivery of both financial and non-financial Management Information.  MIF reporting structure will rely on all the main Office IT systems in particular CRMS, FMS and HRMS. Performance indicators will revolve around the use of management information in decision-making at management level within the Offices.  Outputs will also include the presentation on management information relating to the cost of the provision of legal services – both direct and disbursements. The system will enable the Offices to provide cost information to client Departments and Offices.  Legal service costs information will be viewable by file, case type, by organisational unit, client activity etc.  These performance indicators are being prepared as part of the project and will include indicators of costs in legal activities.  

E-Legislation
The main objective of the eLegislation project is to develop and implement in consultation with other stakeholders (in particular the Houses of the Oireachtas), an eLegislation solution, having regard to eCabinet and other eGovernment projects, to support the process of authoring and managing legislation text (Bills, Restatements and Statutory Instruments) and attendant indexes through the legislation lifecycle, from initial drafting of legislation, through parliamentary debate and amendment, and consideration of its availability to the public in searchable electronic form on the internet and on CD-ROM.  The solution will also include integrated progress reporting and management information on legislation drafting.

Parliamentary Counsel staff are collaborating with the Houses of the Oireachtas staff on  aspects of e-Legislation and with the Department of the Taoiseach in a review of the Cabinet Handbook in the context of e-Cabinet.  With the Houses of the Oireachtas, a joint project to develop an XML document format for authoring Bills (a document-type definition or “DTD”) as part of the wider e-Legislation project has been successfully completed.  The Office is now about to appoint consultants with the appropriate specialist expertise to develop by end of November 2003 DTDs for Statutory Instruments and Restatements in advance of issuing the e-Legislation Request for Tender and which will also be the standard to be adhered to under the next GSA contract.  These DTDs will become the standard document used within any component of e-Legislation and will facilitate interoperability between Government Departments and Agencies who may wish to exchange documents within the e-Legislation framework.

Human Resources Management System
 In the Office of the Attorney General a draft Human Resources Strategy will be submitted to MAC for its meeting on 29 October 2003 prior to being submitted to the Partnership Committee immediately thereafter.  The Human Resources Strategy for the CSSO is in the course of preparation and will be available to its MAC in March 2004 for consideration

Knowledge Management Strategy

A new Knowledge Management (KM) Strategy is being implemented in both Offices.  The strategy was completed in March 2003 by a project team of AGO/CSSO IT, legal, library and human resource staff.   This is a good example of team-working, cross-functional and cross-departmental working as is the KM Core Team which was established in June to implement the strategy.   The Knowledge Management Strategy provides a framework for identifying, capturing, delivering and re-using AGO/CSSO knowledge and information to enable greater work efficiency and enhance the delivery of high quality legal services.   

A number of the KM Strategy recommendations have been implemented:

•	restructured Legal Issues meetings in AGO
•	information-sharing meetings for Executive/Staff Officers in the CSSO
•	information-sharing meetings in Administration side in AGO
•	introduction of a monthly joint Legal Bulletin for both Offices and
•	review of most appropriate format for CSSO Legal Issues meetings.[

The IT-based recommendations of the KM Strategy will be implemented after the Case and Records Management System is in place.  Interim measures such as the roll-out of the AGO legal know-how database to the CSSO are being considered.

An Action Plan in respect of the remaining aspects of the Strategy is being prepared.

The key strategies for both libraries for the next three years are to lead the development of knowledge management initiatives for the Office as a whole and to work closely with both library users and information suppliers to ensure that the appropriate resources and services are made available in a cost-effective manner.

Electronic Irish Statute Book - Accessibility of legislation
In the context of e-Government and e-Legislation, the Office has made available on its website in September 2003 the 2002 Chronological Tables, Statutes and Statutory Instruments.  Work is proceeding in preparing 2003 material for putting on the website.  This is a significant achievement in making legislation available electronically to the public in a timely manner.  

The Statute Law Revision Unit is involved in the identification of all legislation enacted by the parliament sitting at Westminster before 1922 and revised legislation that was enacted by parliaments sitting in Ireland before 1922 that remains in force in Ireland and will advise Government on a policy to be adopted as regards this body of legislation.  Work is being undertaken in accordance with a plan approved by the Attorney General and a report will be submitted to the Attorney General and the Taoiseach in December 2003 with a view to its submission to Government early in 2004 which will include a draft Statute Law Revision Bill identifying legislation that can be repealed and advising on steps that can be taken to modernise other Acts passed between 1235 and 1922.  This will consolidate and make accessible this somewhat obscure body of law which nonetheless continues to apply.

In relation to the Government policy of Better Regulation, six restatements have been prepared by the SLRU and are under review by Government Departments since June 2003.  Draft proposals were submitted on 2nd September 2003 to the Attorney General for consideration by the Taoiseach in respect of future restatements and proposals on how the policy of restatement can be implemented more efficiently and effectively in the light of experience.  Work is now in progress on finalising proposals, which will include consideration of a possible public/private partnership, with a view to submission to Government early in December 2004.  Significant advances in restating statute law, i.e. administrative consolidations, would make the law more readily comprehensible and accessible to all.  These projects in relation to the Electronic Irish Statute Book and Better Regulation are ones which will deliver significant benefits to both the public and to lawyers and civil servants in their use of legislation.

Report of the Working Group on the Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers (Mullarkey Report)
The Office and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office each has its own Accounting Officer  and are pursuing separate Implementation Plans arising from this Report.  The Plans include a review of internal financial procedures in the Offices and in the Law Reform Commission.  The Offices’ Implementation Plans were approved by the respective MAC and Partnership Committees and the Audit Committee which serves both Offices.  Progress was reviewed by the Audit Committee on 1 October 2003.  The following will demonstrate that the Offices have made considerable progress in implementing the Report.  

The Office of the Attorney General’s general accounting procedures were updated in mid-2003.  The Office of the Attorney General is committed to putting in place a risk assessment policy relevant to each section of the Office.  This exercise is to be completed in November 2003.  A draft Disaster and Recovery Plan for the Library and Know-How Unit in the Attorney General’s Office was prepared during August and September 2003 and will be finalised by the end of November.  Where appropriate it will also be applied to Registry.  Some aspects of this Plan are already being implemented.  In the Chief State Solicitor’s Office a pilot risk analysis was recently carried out in the Public Law area of the Office which resulted in the identification of a specific risk and which was met by the introduction of  a new computer-based solution.

The Audit Committee meets all the requirements recommended in the Mullarkey Report eg includes three independent members, two of whom are from the Private Sector.  The Committee received presentations from IT Project Managers on Case and Records Management System, e- Legislation and Management Information System Projects.  The Committee will meet Project Managers again on the 10th December to review progress. 

Arising from internal audit reports there is now in place in the Attorney General’s Office;
•	an Office Mobile Phone Policy from 17 November 2002
•	a revised Foreign Travel Policy from 1 July 2003 and
•	procedures for Ordering Taxis and Couriers from 1 September 2003.

The Office of the Attorney General had earlier put in place Procedures covering Usage of Postal Franking Stamp, and the Assets Register on foot of internal audit reports.  The Internal Auditor is currently reviewing implementation of recommendations contained in his Reports.  

On its own initiative, the Office of the Attorney General put in place:  
•	An e-mail Policy from May, 2003
•	a Landline Phone Policy from 1 September 2003 and
•	An Internet Usage Policy from 3 October 2003

These policies and procedures, all of which are displayed on the Office Intranet,  represent a significant formalisation and clarification of procedures and staff are required to sign up to them. 

 In the Chief State Solicitor’s Office the Internal Audit Committee has recommended that a Mobile Phone Policy be prepared and introduced into the Office.  This draft policy is due for completion by October 2003 and for submission to Partnership and  MAC by November 2003.  The first step towards devolution of budgets within the Office will be taken from January 2004.

Following an Internal Audit review of payment procedures in the Chief State Solicitors Office the payment processing regime has changed to enhance the security aspects.

The Professional Accountant in conjunction with the Internal Auditor is arranging a survey in both Offices of internal financial procedures.  This is to commence at the end of October and to be completed by the end of November 2003.  

The Audit Committee will review the internal audit function.  This review has commenced.  The Business Plans of each Unit will include an appropriate risk assessment heading.  This exercise  will be completed in November 2003.  
Expenditure Review Plan   
The Office of the Attorney General and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office will undertake a joint Expenditure Review of the Attorney General’s Scheme.  The Office of the Attorney General will review the Law Reform Commission while the Chief State Solicitor’s Office will review Payments to Stenographers and Cost Recovery.  The reviews were approved by the Department of Finance in September 2003 and the first review will commence in November 2003.

Law Reform Commission
Because the Commission is a small body, it was agreed at the outset with the Secretariat to the CSPVG that it would be included in the Action Plan of the Office of the Attorney General.  The Commission presented its Strategy and Business Plans 2003 – 2005 to the Attorney General on 23 January, 2003.  At that meeting, the Attorney General indicated to the Commission some priorities in their Work Programme which he and the Government wished to have addressed.  

In the period since February, 2003, the Commission has published two Reports and six Consultation Papers and forwarded to the Attorney General for submission to Government its Annual Report for 2002.  The Commission proposes to publish two further Consultation Papers before end-2003.  Seminars on two Consultation Papers have been held and two more are to take place before end 2003.  The work done by the Commission reflects the priorities set for it in its Second Programme for Law Reform supplemented by reference to it from the Attorney General for proposals from the Commission in respect of particular areas of the law.

The Commission’s staff of 20 includes a Director of Research, 11 Legal Researchers, a Legal Information Manager, a Cataloguer and a Project Manager – all on contract.  The administrative work falling on the Commission in respect of new initiatives places an added burden on the small numbers.  To counter this, the Office of the Attorney General assists where possible e.g. IT and training.  The work of the Office’s Internal Auditor and Professional Accountant is also of benefit to the Commission.

The Commission has during the period under review 
-	updated its website to include all of its publications since its foundation.
-	rolled out the PMDS Initiative
-	put in place an Executive Committee to review its expenditure on a monthly basis.
-	participated in internal audit reviews.
-	put in place arrangements to ensure segregation of duties in relation to financial matters.
-	put in place procedures to fast-track the e-conveyancing legal research project.

Other important initiatives in the Attorney General’s Office and not referred to in the letter of 12th September 2003 identifying priorities include:

European Court of Justice litigation
A joint Attorney General’s Office/ Chief State Solicitor’s Office working group has been set up to examine how the State legal services in Ireland deal with European litigation.  One of the first initiatives of this group has been to consider improvements in the procedures for notifying Government Departments of references for preliminary rulings to the European Court of Justice by courts in other Member States where we consider that the Department concerned may wish to make written observations in relation to the reference.  In November 2003, a meeting with liaison personnel in Government Departments will take place with a view to putting in place improved procedures in January 2004.  A pilot project to increase awareness of ECJ litigation amongst Advisory Counsel in the Attorney General’s Office was put in place in March 2003 by circulation in electronic format of the Official Journal.  In April 2003, a group was established to examine issues arising.  Since this process has been established, Advisory Counsel have been in a position to deal more pro-actively with Departments on the issue of whether or not an intervention should be made in ECJ cases to which the State is not a party.

The Offices have released to the cabinet of the Irish judge at the European Court of Justice staff so as to gain greater insight into the processes of the Court and how its Registry operates.  Reports were prepared following these secondments which are being acted upon and which has resulted in the redeployment of an additional senior State Solicitor to deal with European litigation.

European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human Rights Act will come into force in the State on 31st October, 2003.  This will present a significant new area of jurisprudence which will be applied in the Irish courts.  Extensive training on the Convention was organised by the Office’s ECHR Working Group up to September 2003 for both Offices and the Law Reform Commission and to which other lawyers in the Civil Service were invited.  This is an important piece of further legal education which will deliver a greater expertise in this new area of law.

Office of Parliamentary Counsel to the Government
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government in order to ensure that client Departments are facilitated in relation to their drafting requirements:

•	made available its Statutory Instruments: Drafting Checklist and Guidelines
•	assisted the Office of the Revenue Commissioners in preparing their in-house “Guide to the Legislative Process, 2003”.
•	put in place a project to train new legal researchers on proofreading of Bills and Statutory Instruments.
The OPC also have agreed a number of far-reaching changes to the format of Acts and Bills which will result in a legislation format closer to that of other Common Law jurisdictions.  The resultant changes in layout and presentation of Bills will contribute to making legislation more accessible.

Commitment and Flexibility
Many of the projects listed involved cross-Office teams working together, showing tremendous commitment and flexibility.  There has been a great willingness from staff to reorganise themselves to take on urgent and new tasks – a number of examples are cited in the Progress Report.

In the Office of the Attorney General it was agreed that merit-based competitions should apply for all future internal promotions.

In all three organisations, significant training opportunities were provided to staff.

Conclusion
Having reviewed the Progress Reports, I am satisfied that considerable progress has been made in implementing the Offices’ Action Plans, not just in respect of priorities.  I am particularly pleased to report that the Offices have identified additional Specific Actions to be progressed over the course of the Plans.  These include

Office of the Attorney General
•	A Review of Legal Advisory Groups with a view to implementation of any necessary changes from January, 2004.
•	Biannual meetings between management and unions,
•	Upward review as part of PMDS to be in place in January, 2004, and examination of criteria to cover situations where individuals fail to meet most or all of the important or significant commitments in their role profile form by end-2003 prior to commencement of the next annual cycle,
•	Willingness of legal and drafting staff to reprioritise urgent Bill files and review of internal processes to respond to urgent requests to draft priority Bills agreed.
•	In-house ECDL course commencing November 2003,
•	Need for formal on-call system to be examined by January, 2004, and a formal system now in place by April, 2004,
•	Review of Office website within six months including provision of an Irish version,
•	Consideration of procedures on Increments and Sick Leave to be agreed by end 2003 and consideration of procedures on Probation within two months of the availability of the updated Department of Finance circular. 

Chief State Solicitor’s Office
•	Construction of new website by February 2004
•	Further devolution of budgeting responsibility.
•	Plans being considered to roll out upward feedback as part of PMDS
•	Policy on Probation process agreed
•	Commitment to development of extranet connection with certain clients.

Accordingly, following consultation with the Chief State Solicitor and full time Law Reform Commissioner I recommend that all persons at all levels in the two Offices 

and in the Commission be awarded the appropriate pay increases due on 1 January, 2004.

Yours sincerely,

__________________
Finola Flanagan
Director General

{8f231003}

						

Our Ref:  AD/12/001318

25 November, 2003

Mr. Donal De Buitléir,
Chairperson,
Civil Service Performance Verification Group,
Room 810, Landsdowne House,
Landsdowne Road,
Dubin 4

Dear Mr. De Buitléir,

I refer to an email dated 17 November, 2003, from Mr. Michael McCarthy of the Secretariat to the Verification Group seeking clarification and additional information on the Office’s Progress Report.

The Office is pursuing a very heavy agenda on different projects, many in conjunction with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office.  It is the desire of both Offices to pursue our commitments as set out in the Action Plans, supplemented by several new commitments in the Progress Reports.  I am greatly encouraged by the wish of staff in the Offices to move the process forward.

Over the last few years the Office’s horizon has widened to encompass participating in groups such as the Secretaries General and Heads of Offices Group, Strategic Management Implementation Groups, Civil Service Quality Customer Service Consultative Committee, Working  Group on Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers etc.  

The Office has been to the forefront in organising educational courses on the European Convention on Human Rights for its own staff and staff of other Government Departments and Offices.  Secondments have also been made to the Permanent Representation in Brussels and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.  All of these result in efficiencies both to the Office and the wider Public Service.

The following is the response to the six specific issues raised:

1.	Intermediate target milestones and associated dates in respect of projects for completion in 2004.

Where possible, the Office in its Progress Report gave specific dates in respect of projects, many of which are being pursued in a spirit of Partnership with the staff in the Office.

Page 20 - Management Information Framework –  Financial Management System 
to be operational by September 2004.
-	Preferred Vendor has been selected and discussions on project are to
         commence this week.
-	Finance Unit staff continue to receive training on functions currently carried
out on its behalf by Accounts Branch, Department of Finance – these     functions will be fully transferred to the Office by September, 2004.  Some functions have already been transferred.
-	Further work on costing options continuing.
-	Meeting held on 20 November, 2003, between Project Teams on Case and Records Management System and on Financial Management System to discuss integration issues.  Further meetings will be held over the coming weeks.

Work is on target to have the Financial Management System in place by July, 2004, and fully operational by September, 2004 – well within the Government deadline of end 2004 and taking account of the transfer of functions from the Accounts Branch, Department of Finance.  A team of officials from the Office and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office has been established to work with the preferred vendor in putting the system in place.  Considerable progress has been made over the past year in advancing this project.

Page 33 – Restatements
Further Restatement issued to relevant Government Departments, two more being prepared and instructions received from relevant Departments on a further two.
  
Page 35 -37 – Increased consolidation work . 
Here the Office is dependent on the instructions received from Government Departments and in the meantime it has been giving advice on a regular basis to the officials or working parties involved in preparing proposals on the legislation to be consolidated.

Pages 43-44- PMDS Review – To be undertaken in 2004
The Office is arranging for a climatic attitudinal survey of staff in the context of the introduction of upward review - to be undertaken in December, 2003, with a view to a report by January, 2004.  Outside expertise is being engaged to assist in this.

Page 57 – Human Resources Strategy -  To be agreed by Partnership in 2004
The Draft Strategy is now before MAC and will be passed by it to the Partnership Committee for consideration after MAC consideration is completed.  This is expected to have happened by January and the Draft is expected to be finalised by March, 2004.

Page 118 – Improved monitoring arrangements in relation to employment of people with disabilities – To be in place by  2004.
As indicated in Progress Report the Office has taken a number of measures to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities.  Work on replacement of swipe cards by proximity card readers and lift buttons with brail buttons should be finalised in December,2003.  OPW to undertake an audit of the facilities by December, 2003.

2.	Details of progress and achievement to date in relation to commitments with a target completion date of late 2003/early 2004.

Page 6 –Customer Service – Language Training
Partnership Committee currently considering proposed Office Policies promoting language training in Irish and French to meet client needs.  These are expected to be in place from January, 2004.

Page 7 – Client Service Charter – Training
Four members of Sub-Committee have now attended training in relation to proposed Charter. Another member is scheduled to attend on 8/9 December, 2003.  External consultation with clients/customers through questionnaire/survey, customer/client panel and focus groups agreed at Customer Charter Group meeting (Sub-Group of Partnership) on 20th November 2003. 

Page 9 – Client Service Charter – Publication
The Sub-Committee has considered options in relation to consultation with clients on a proposed Charter.  Subject to approval of MAC and Partnership, it is proposed to undertake a survey of clients in December, 2003, with a view to preparation of a First Draft of a Charter in January, 2004.  The Charter would then be developed with a view to its publication by September, 2004, in line with central timescales.

Page 12 – Efficient use of Resources – Project Management 
The third joint training session took place on 18/19 November, 2003, - 9 attended.  Project Management principles will be applied where appropriate to such undertakings as customer/client consultation and publication of Customer Charter as well as other projects.

Page 14 – Expenditure Reviews
The Professional Accountant will undertake relevant training in January, 2004.  Arrangements are being made in consultation with the CSSO to initiate the review of the Attorney General’s Scheme as soon as possible.

Page 15 – Delegated Budget
Working Group met on 24 November, 2003, with a view to reporting to MAC in December, 2003, on 2004 allocations.

Page 17 – Audit Reports
MAC considered the Reports on Payment Process for Counsels’ Fees, Mobile Phone Usage and Usage of Postal Franking Stamp on 6 November, 2003.

Page 19 – Law Reform Commission Audit
The Internal Auditor is currently undertaking this audit.  The Commission engages the services of a private sector auditing company each year to review its finances.  The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General also review the Commission’s annual accounts.

Page 24 – MIF Reports 
Report for November made on 14 November, 2003.  Next Report due January, 2004.  Further Reports due in March, 2004, and bimonthly thereafter to end 2004.

Page 25 – Audit of Internal Financial Procedures
The commencement of the audit was delayed but should start before end November, 2003.  

Page 26 – Library/Registry Disaster Plan
Discussions with OPW to be held by end November, 2003.

Page 50/51 –Training
CO Development Course took place on 11/12 November,2003. -  13 attended, including 1 from CSSO.

Page 51/52 – Flexibility
Meetings with administrative staff took place on 19/20 November, 2003 on inter-Unit flexibilities and no objections raised.  As a result, formal arrangement will now be put in place.

Page 59 – ECDL
Course commenced 4/5 November, 2003, with 18 members of staff attending.

Page 76 – Contract Drafter
New Contract Drafter joined Office on 3 November, 2003.

Page 89 – Office Website
Proposals for improvement of the website are under consideration.  These proposals include issues such as access by persons with disabilities, provision for feedback from clients etc.  Because of the scale of the tasks involved, the project may be phased to update the website itself first and then the Electronic Statute Book which is accessible on the website.

Page 90 – Office Intranet
New version available since end October, 2003 and will be kept under review.

Page 103 – Training
Over the last month staff have been offered opportunities to participate in particular courses organised by the Chief State Solicitor's Office on Presentation Skills for technical staff and Microsoft Excel training - this is in addition to courses organised by the Office which are also offered to CSSO and Law Reform Commission personnel.

3.	Details of efficiency gains achieved during the period under review.
(a)	Customer Service: 
Increased specialisation has resulted in a more immediate response to clients.  Each specialist group is required to keep clients needs under review.

(b)	Efficient use of Resources:
-	Joint training with CSSO and Law Reform Commission has achieved 
savings.
-	Joint planning with CSSO for implementation of IT Plan and specific projects e.g. Case and Records Management System, Financial Management System and Knowledge Management Strategy is also achieving savings.  The overall savings will not become apparent until the systems are fully operational.
-	Constant review of expenditure and implementation of Office policies 
throughout 2003 has yielded significant savings under most Subheads.
-	Greater delegation of authority to CSSO on payment of Counsel’s Fees has
reduced the number of references to the AGO from that which would otherwise have been the case.

(c) 	Better Regulation
-	SLRU involvement in preparation of White Paper on Better Regulation which is being finalised.
-	SLRU took the lead in preparing Restatements including printing and making Restatements available on website.  Other draft Restatements have issued to relevant Departments.
-	SLRU have also reviewed all pre-1922 legislation with a view to making 
	proposals to the Attorney General on how the legislation applicable to 
	Ireland might be modernised.
-	Office has made available 2002 Chronological Tables, Statutes and 
Statutory Instruments on its website.  The 2003 material is being prepared for placing on the website in the first half of 2004 – it will be necessary to seek tenders for the work involved.  This is a major project involving all sides of the Office.

(d)	Modernisation and Flexibility
-	 the several instances set out in pages 48 to 56 all resulted in efficiencies.

-	The Microsoft Word Publications Template adopted by the Law Reform  Commission has also speeded up its publications.

-	The redevelopment of the Commission’s website and other initiatives referred to in  pages 69 – 73 of the Progress Report have also resulted in efficiencies.

(e) 	Attendance Patterns
Again the flexibility documented in pages 77-79 of the Progress Report has resulted in efficiencies.

(f) 	Redeployment of Staff
Pages 79 – 84 of the Progress Report documents examples of flexibility that have also resulted in efficiencies.

(g) 	Training
As indicated in Page 108 of the Progress Report, the availability of its in-house Training Room has resulted in major savings being achieved by the Office in offering courses to its staff  on site – and indeed where appropriate to staff of the CSSO and the Law Reform Commission.   As indicated best value is looked for in arranging courses.  Courses attended are also evaluated.  In-house Training allows staff greater accessibility to courses whilst at the same time allowing them to remain available for urgent purposes in the Office.

4.	Details of any additional functions assumed by the Office in light of increased numbers employed in the Office in recent years
To understand the reason for increased numbers of staff employed in the Office, it is necessary to understand its function of providing legal advisory and drafting services to Government, Departments and Offices.  A number of Reports in the mid-1990s found the Office to be very much understaffed and underdeveloped in support facilities.  Consequently, between 1996 and 1997 the number of staff allocated to the Office was increased from 41 to 67.  However, the workload further increased and by 1999 the Office’s authorised complement was 95.  In late 2000 the staff complement was increased following Government consideration of the position.  Seven additional Legal Advisory posts and 6 Drafting posts were sanctioned.  To support these additional numbers, sanction was also received for 6 Clerical Officer posts. It was not possible to fill all of the posts immediately – neither was it feasible to take on board so many all together because of the complexity of the work involved and the need to give new personnel adequate training.

In 2000/2001, the Office in conjunction with the CSSO formulated a joint IT Plan which involves a radical restructuring of the Offices’ IT facilities.  Consequently, it was necessary to recruit 2 additional IT staff to enable the IT Unit in this Office to support both existing services and the implementation of the new systems as set out in the Plan.

In January, 2001, the Office appointed a Training and Development Officer and in July, 2001, in conjunction with the CSSO, appointed an Internal Auditor.  Particular focus had to be given to PMDS Training and the Public Accounts Committee had enquired on a number of occasions about an internal audit system which it felt was desirable to put in place.

In June, 2002, the Office established a Change Management Unit and appointed 1 person to the Unit to service the needs of the Office and the CSSO on issues such as PMDS, Client Service, Statements of Strategy, Business Plans, Annual Reports etc.

In September 2002, the Office appointed a HEO to project manage the Financial Management System in both the Office and the CSSO.

In March, 2003, the Office, in conjunction with the CSSO, appointed a Professional Accountant to service the needs of both Offices on issues such as MIF and Expenditure Reviews.

Since 2000, the Office has also employed 4 Legal Researchers whose work involves research on topics and since October, 2003, proof reading of Bills and amendments to Bills etc so as to free up the Office’s Legal Advisory and Drafting staff to deal with substantive issues in a more efficient manner.

The continued increased legal workload on the Office can be gauged by the continued increase in the number of items of correspondence received in the Office as follows:-
	
Correspondence Received	
						
					Items		
1984		  -	 	 6,512		
1989		  -		  8,661		
1994		  -		12,132		
1999		  -		17,572		
2000		  -		21,282		
2001		  -		25,322		
2002		  -		26,773		
2003 (to 20/11) 	  -		24,881
(to end 2003)		 	(27,143 Estimated)	

Work in drafting legislation also shows a large increase as evidenced by the increase in primary legislation enacted.  

Primary Legislation
Year	No. of Acts			Pages
1984	27		  	 	  300
1989	23 			  	  588
1994	34			  	  815
1999	35				1,166
2000	42				1,531
2001	57				2,269
2002	34			  	   991
2003	36				1,120

This involves both advisory and drafting staff in relation to the preparation of Bills but also in the preparation of amendments which can be considerable, complex and time-consuming.

Demands for urgent advice on legislation have increased enormously.  This can again be demonstrated by the table attached which shows the number of working days allowed for legal advice to be given on a sample of significant pieces of legislation during 2003.  This impacts severely on Advisory Counsel who do indeed respond with advices in the time allowed but the urgent work involved is significant and is carried out together with all other legal advisory demands.  These timelimits have shortened in recent years.  Advisory Counsel and Parliamentary Counsel are currently engaged in an exercise to develop working methods to deal with this situation.  
	
In the absence of any other body taking responsibility for having the Statute Book accessible electronically, the Office published the CD-ROM versions and placed the Statutes, Statutory Instruments and Chronological Tables from 1922 to 2002 on its website.  Currently it is arranging to have the 2003 material added on to the website in the first half of 2004.  

From 1 September, 1998, the Public Service Management Act, 1997, was applied to the Office following the consent of the Attorney General.  A substantial amount of work arises as a consequence – Statements of Strategy, Business Plans, PMDS, Implementation of Mullarkey Report on Accountability of Secretaries General etc.  Other legislation  e.g.  Data Protection, National Archives, Freedom of Information, Prompt Payment of Accounts and Ethics in Public Offices has also added responsibilities on the Office.  

Government decisions in relation to issues such as MIF, Implementation of Mullarkey Report on Accountability of Secretaries General and Expenditure Reviews has placed an extra workload on the Office with only a minimum of resources provided. 

In the case of this Office, the implementation of MIF is complicated by the decision of the Department of Finance to transfer accounting functions which it has, since the establishment of the State, undertaken on behalf of the Office – as yet no supporting staff has been offered or provided. 

Since 2002 the Office has enhanced its ability and function of monitoring the processing of payment of Counsels’ fees to barristers employed by this Office and the CSSO.

In addition, the Office’s staff are required to participate in a growing number of Committees – both internal and external.  See Appendix to Progress Report regarding external Committees.  This is a development of recent years and willingly undertaken.  It provides a considerable benefit to the Civil Service and 
Government generally as well as to the Office.  Also the Office is considerably more integrated into the Civil Service as a whole that it had been in the past.

The Office currently has an authorised complement of 123, having ceded a Clerical Officer post in response to the Government decision to reduce numbers.  It has also had to release an EO on secondment for 1 year to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on foot of another Government decision.  Of the 123 authorised posts, 7 are currently vacant and procedures are in place to fill most of these by end 2003/early 2004.  The Office will be required to cede 2.8 posts in 2004 and 1.2 in 2005.

5.	Details of any skills deficits which have been identified as a result of the audit of competencies initiated in July, 2003
	In the Office’s report of July, 2003, to the Department of Finance, it was indicated that the Office had in 2002 experienced skills shortages under all headings – IT, Financial Management, Human Resources, Legal and Other but these had all been resolved.  The Office has prepared a Training Needs Analysis which is currently being considered by the Partnership Sub-Committee on Training and Development.  Training in the Office is specifically focussed on the identified requirements under PMDS.

6.	Details of any areas where a requirement for further open recruitment has been identified and details of how it is proposed to address this requirement
   Competitions held in 2003 in the legal area have resulted in posts advertised being successful in attracting suitable candidates who have now been either appointed or offered appointment to the Office.

Conclusion
I hope that the foregoing material assists the Verification Group.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to clarify any matter.  I am also available at any time to meet with the Group should you consider this to be desirable.

Yours sincerely,

_________________
Finola Flanagan
Director General

INPUTS INTO LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING PROCESS

	Request for Obs	Closing Date for Obs	Working Days	
Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003	28 Jan 2003	11 Feb 2003	10 working days

Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003
	15 Nov 2001	22 Nov 2001	05 working days	
Garda Síochána Bill 2003	23 Jun 2003
	26 Jun 2003	03 working days
	
Offences Against the State (Amendment) Bill 2002
	05 Jun 2002	24 Jun 2002	13 working days	
The Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2003
	05 Apr 2002	26 Apr 2002	15 working days	
European Arrest Warrant Bill 2003	09 Jan 2003	23 Jan 2003	10 working days
	
Courts and Civil Liability Bill	23 Jun 2003
	25 Jun 2003	02 working days
	
Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Bill 2001
	19 Feb 2003	05 Mar 2003	10 working days	
Defamation Bill 2001	21 Nov 2001	30 Nov 2001	07 working days
	
Adoption Contact Register Bill	14 Mar 2001	29 Mar 2001	11 working days
	
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Powers and Functions) Bill 2003
	10 Apr 2003	17 Apr 2003	05 working days	
Disability Bill 2001 
	07 Apr 2003
	11 Apr 2003	04 working days	
Criminal Justice Bill 2000 
	04 Apr 2003	23 Apr 2003	13 working days	
Equality (Employment and Status) Bill 2003 
	15 Apr 2003	29 Apr 2003	07 working days	
Official Information Bill 2002 
	10 Apr 2000	05 May 2000	15 working days	
Private Security Services Bill 2001 
	22 Dec 1999	19 Jan 2000	17 working days	
Property Registration Bill 2001 
	10 Aug 1999	15 Sept 1999	26 working days	
Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 1999	Original Bill Published – 
17 Nov 1999

New memo to Govt circulated 21 Jul 2003 containing 16 proposed additional sections			

Sustaining Progress   -     Progress Reports

Response to request for further clarifications

Milestones for Projects

Financial Management System:

The action plan set out general milestones for this project.  However, by now a vendor has been selected and it, therefore, possible to set out the implementation milestones in more detail as follows:

•	December 2003/January 2004		Agree final project plan 
•	January to March 2004		Define and map business requirements       
•	February 2004				Analysis of existing operations      
•	March 2004				Design solution   
•	April 2004				Build new system     
•	May 2004				Test new system   
•	June/July 2004			Migrate existing data     
•	July 2004				Go live with new system     

Case and Records Management System

Contractor selected. Agreement of the project plan and production of the statement of work to be finalised.   Projected milestones are as follows:

•	Nov. ’03	Agree & sign contract to enable formal project start-up

•	Dec. ’03	Agree project plan & produce a statement of work

•	Jan., Feb.’04	Undertake workshops with staff and management and produce detailed solution requirements report

•	Feb., Mar.’04	Define, purchase and install computer hardware and software

•	Apr., May’04	Complete software test plan

•	June ’04	Design and build solution to include legal and administrative processes, e-mail integration and associated reporting

•	June ‘04	Undertake the data migration required for the ACME solution

•	June ’04	Plan, arrange and undertake training in the operation of the solution for legal, administrative and IT staff 

Plain Language

Last year the Office commenced an internal debate on the use of plain language in the documents we produce. The debate centred on the use of ‘plain English’ and on the image conveyed by the State’s legal services if traditional legal expressions are still use at the beginning of the 21st Century.  The debate covered the impact of the ‘plain English movement’ on the legal profession in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. It  also covered the issue of how style of language reflects on the quality of legal service. At the conclusion of this debate that was a wide reaching understanding of the communication issues involved.

The debate was carried on at MAC, partnership and at a series of meetings between the Chief State Solicitor and section staff. 

Subsequently, the Office identified the requirement that the use of ‘plain English’ be discussed at induction training with a view to its use in the drafting of legal documents by new staff.

There is a noticeable move towards the use of plain English in the Office and this is particularly evident in the documentation being drafted by younger members of staff.  Further implementation initiatives are required and these are under discussion within the Office.

One of the factors restricting the use of plain English is the existing library of standard documents available as precedents to staff. The Office has been availing of the opportunity to re-write this library of documentation in plain English and in connection with the arrival of the new case and records management system. This project is programmed to be complete by end February, 2003.

We have selected examples of Office documents which have been drafted using a contemporary business style. The style avoids use of old fashioned legal jargon (such as, ‘herewith’, ‘hereinbefore’, etc.) and the use of non English language expressions such as ‘inst.’, ‘ult.’, ‘proximo’, etc. The examples comprise:

•	Office policy on preferred management style. This document has been taken from the Office’s bulletin board where it is available to guide staff on the implementation of PMDS

•	‘Current Legal Information CR- ROM, User Guide’, A CSSO library guide to legal research on the Office’s CD-ROM holdings

•	Precedent letter outlining the requirements of the State where a court application is made to have a dissolved company restored to the Register of Companies

•	Set of documentation prepared to assist solicitors for a sports club complete the legal documentation to release a National Lottery grant.

•	Offices Notes on the re-organisation of precedents, (This document, coincidentally, also addresses the use of ‘plain English’ in the Office’s revised library of standard documentation). ( Note: Some confidential text has been masked in black).

PMDS

The introduction of the system into the Chief State Solicitor’s Office was a major change project requiring the commitment and support of staff at all levels in the organisation.  PMDS challenged the way staff worked together and many issues affecting work management, organisation competencies and internal relationships have been addressed since the system was introduced.  Significant organisation time and resources were required to introduce PMDS successfully.  Through Partnership and the Project Group set up to implement the system, staff were consulted and informed at all stages of the process.   Staff involvement has continued.  The positive impact of the system became apparent in a number of areas:

•	Alignment of organisation and individual work
•	Role clarification
•	Greater clarity in reporting relationships 
•	Identification of competencies set out clearly the attributes expected of stafff and assisted in focusing training activity 
•	Manager-staff communication
•	An impetus for the development of a new organisation culture incorporating a progressive management style

PMDS commenced in the CSSO in November 2001 when a Project Group was appointed by the Management Advisory Committee (MAC). The type of issues addressed by the Project Group include:

•	the layout of forms; 
•	making staff aware of the details of PMDS and timescales of completion of various stages;
•	reporting relationships; 
•	retention, storage and confidentiality of forms; 
•	movement of officers between sections;
•	guidelines for interim and annual reviews; 
•	analysis of Personal Training and Development Plans;
•	feedback and lessons to be learned from training courses; 
•	end of year evaluation, appropriate mechanism and criteria for evaluation;
•	selection of and guidelines for core competencies;
•	performance descriptors;
•	management style.

The Project Group developed a reporting system to monitor and evaluate the implementation process, and communicates to staff by way of e-mails and meetings on a regular basis.

Features of the systems included:-

•	part of the final annual review would be by way of self-review

•	a four level fixed formula of words assessment model (i.e. performance descriptors) in addition to a free-form summary to describe overall performance.

•	The four competencies selected for the first year were – managing people, team working, customer service and technical ability.  The second year involved the same four competencies with the addition of  ‘coaching and mentoring’.

Some of the overall benefits include a greater understanding of performance issues and an understanding of how performance is measured. It has also resulted in a mature discussion of underperformance in cases where that is an issue.

Skills Shortages

The Office MAC has identified the principal skills shortage in the area of commercial contract practice. This is relevant to the functions of the Advisory Division which has a small unit providing legal advices on Government contracts. It is also relevant to some areas of commercial conveyancing.

The Office has consulted with external experts (a senior partner in a large Dublin firm and an in-house solicitor in a Semi State Body) in order to evaluate its options. The view of the CSSO is that it can only make good this skills shortfall by recruiting a solicitor with particular skills in this area, from outside the Office, at Principal Solicitor grade for a period of three years. This course will allow the existing skill base to be augmented and will enable a transfer of skills to existing CSSO staff.

The matter has been raised with IMPACT – Professional Branch. The matter has also been debated at Partnership with full contribution from professional staff. The Office’s report on the implementation of the Action Plan was unanimously endorsed by Partnership. Some continuing negotiation with union is appropriate as issues have been raised that need to be addressed sensitively. The view of the Office is that there is sufficient goodwill to support the Office’s proposal.

Other skills required include:

•	Records Manager:

With the introduction of the new Case and Records Management system the need to appoint a designated Records Manager was identified. Currently a Job Specification and Person Specification are being drawn up with a view to seeking the Department of Finance sanction. 

•	Know How Officer:
Arising out of the Know How strategy for this Office, the requirement to appoint, on contract, a designated Know How Officer was identified. Currently the Job Specification and Person Specification are being prepared

•	Accounts Technicians:
On examining the staff requirement associated with the introduction of MIF, skills shortages were identified especially in the area of the cost of legal services.  Particularly relevant to the question of costing legal services. Initial discussions with the union have commenced as to the best approach to address the need for Accounting Technicians.

Persons with Disabilities

Currently the Office has two members of staff recruited from competitions confined to persons with disabilities, representing approximately 1% of the staff complement.   A similar percentage applied at the end of February last. However, given that the majority of staff are recruited from open competitions for professional and technical staff it has not been easy to target or monitor such staff with disabilities. In this context it might be noted that the Office has recently also recruited a solicitor with a cerebral palsy condition. 

The Office is well disposed to the recruitment of staff with disabilities. 

This Office has taken positive action in the area of disability awareness and has arranged training courses through Orbis for all staff to attend to assist raising awareness in regards to disability among all staff.  Furthermore, arrangements have been made to facilitate staff with disabilities by installing a ramp, automatic doors on some floors and disabled toilets.  Also, special “evac chairs” to assist in the evacuation of the building in emergencies have been provided.  Special IT equipment has been purchased.

In two recent recruitment competitions for State Solicitor and Legal Executive, this office sought assistance from an outside agency in drafting offers of appointment incorporating 

o	the fact that this office is an equality of opportunity organisation and
o	requesting candidates to contact the office regarding any special assistance they might require.

24 October 2003

Dr. Donal DeBuitleir, 
Chairperson, 
Civil Service Performance Verification Group,
Room 810, Lansdowne House, 
Lansdowne Road, 
Dublin 4.

Dear Mr. DeBuitleir,

Please find attached copy of letter to Mr. Eddie Sullivan, Secretary for Public Service Management and Development, with enclosed Sustaining Progress Action Plan Progress Reports for both this Office, including the Law Reform Commission which is a small grant-aid body under its aegis, and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office which is a constituent part of the Office of the Attorney General.

Yours sincerely,

________________
Finola Flanagan,
Director General

{8f241003}

1Para	Commitment	Specific Action 	Date
[unless stated Departments to identify dates for achievement of specific actions]	Achieved
Yes – Y
No -  N
N/A – Not Applicable yet	Specific Progress/ New Specific Actions	If not yet achieved or did not meet commitment date please provide further details	
	Common Commitments						
	Customer Service

1
(ref. 20.13)

1a
(ref. 22.4)	
All public service organisations over the course of this Agreement will be required to commit publicly to service standards for their customers. Performance will be evaluated against these standards and the results published in annual reports or another appropriate format. Improvements in customer service will be a particular focus of the partnership structures going forward.

All Departments and Offices will publish a charter of service standards and report on performance against these standards in their annual report.	
•	The Office’s Client Service Guide 2002 – 2004 was issued on 26 June, 2002. It is available on the Office website. The Guide will be reviewed at end 2004 with a view to publication of a Guide for 2005 – 2007.

•	A Sub-Committee of Partnership will be established to monitor client service and to prepare the new Charter and Guide for the Office. 

•	A system for feedback from clients has been established and this will be pursued by way of reviews and responses to those reviews.

•	The Office will publish its first Customer Charter which will include reference to client service standards in relation to internal and external clients.

•	The Law Reform Commission will adhere to its service standards as outlined in its Strategy and Business Plan 2003 – 2005 which was issued in January, 2003.

•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission will report on performance achieved against the standards in their respective Annual Reports for 2003 and 2004.

First Quarter 2005

June – August, 2003

March 2003

November/December, 2003

January, 2004

September, 2003

March 2003

July-September, 2003

September, 2003

October,  2003

October 2003

October 2003  

Autumn 2003

October,  2003

October, 2003

October, 2003, 2004, 2005

November, 2003

January, 2004

End 2003/Early 2004

October, 2003

Annual Reports to be published in 2004 and 2005 respectively. 

N/A but good progress made in implementing Client Service Guide

Y

Y

N/A

N/A

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N/A

N/A

Y

Y	

•	Statement of Strategy published in June, 2003 and printed English and Irish language versions available and displayed on the Office website since 1 August 2003.
•	The Advisory side of the Office took a number of steps to improve client service including 
•	Work in relation to asylum and immigration was reassigned on 2 March, 2003, within the Office from one group to another.
•	A pilot project to increase awareness of ECJ litigation amongst Advisory Counsel was put in place in March, 2003 by circulation in electronic form in the Official Journal.  In April, 2003, a group of Advisory Counsel was established to examine issues arising.  In November/December, 2003, a meeting with liaison personnel in Government Departments be covered with a view to putting in place appropriate arrangements in January, 2004.  
•	Extensive training on ECHR in September, 2003 to AGO, Law Reform Commission and representatives of Departments.

•	Similarly, the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to the Government did the following-:
•	issued in March, 2003, copies of its “Statutory Instruments: Drafting Checklist and Guidelines” to Government Departments and Offices.
•	assisted Office of Revenue Commissioners prepare their in-house publication “Guide to the Legislative Process 2003” between July and September,  2003.
•	 “Drafting Manual” containing guidelines and precedents to assist drafters placed in Oireachtas Library in September, 2003.

•	The following training initiatives were put in place to assist staff in providing an improved client service:
•	Twenty one members of AGO administrative staff and one CSSO staff member attended Telephone Etiquette training course on 7 and 8 October, 2003,  to update their customer service skills and to offer a more professional first point of contact to clients etc.
•	Presentation Skills Course held on 14 October, 2003, for staff members including 1 from the Law Reform Commission to assist them on improved communication with clients etc.
•	Business Writing Courses held on 17 July (6 attendees) and 2 October, 2003, (5 attendees) followed by an Advanced Professional and Report Writing Course on 9 October, 2003, (5 attendees) to enable staff improve their written communications skills.
•	Eight staff members developing their Irish language skills by participation in Gaeleagras course this Autumn.

•	On the Administration side, the IT Unit has operated a Help Desk for some years.  Arising from that experience, 
•	Services Unit established a Help Desk which is fully operational since May, 2003.  
•	Registry, in October, 2003, also set up a Help Desk 
to enable queries/problems to be dealt with expeditiously.

•	Sub-Committee of Partnership established – Meetings held on 1 and 22 October, 2003.  Sub - Committee considering appropriate method of consultation with clients in relation to proposed Charter. All seven members of Sub-Committee will attend training in the period October – December, 2003.

•	Analysis of reviews in train.   

New Specific Action
•	Partnership Committee agreed on 14 October, 2003, that on the Advisory side of the Office, a review of Groups would be undertaken. The review, which will include the distribution and organisation of work and how Groups do their business, distribution of work/specialisms amongst groups, having regard to need for specialisation, will commence in November, 2003, with a view to implementation of any necessary changes from January, 2004.  

•	Publication will be in line with Central Communications Plan for publication of Customer Charters.  

•	The Law Reform Commission enters into a consultative process after the publication of its Consultation Papers to obtain the views of practitioners, academics and other interested parties. The views expressed at the Seminars are considered for inclusion in the Commission’s Report on the legal topic being examined.  In July, 2003, the Commission held a Seminar on Judicial Review Procedure as a follow up to its Consultation Paper published in January, 2003. In October, 2003, the Commission held a Seminar  on a Fiscal Prosecutor and a Revenue Court.  The Report on this topic will be published in the first quarter of 2004. 

•	The Commission will be holding the following Seminars before end 2003:

•	Public Inquiries: Including Tribunals of Inquiry and

•	Law and the Elderly.

	

	
	
Efficient Use of Resources						

2
(ref. 20.11)	
The parties to this Agreement will co-operate fully with the modernisation and change required to ensure that maximum value is achieved from all public expenditure in terms of defined outputs and outcomes.

	
•	The Office has adopted a Project Management approach for all big projects as a means of enhancing value for money.

•	The Office will train relevant staff and undertake Expenditure Reviews, initially in respect of the Law Reform Commission and the Attorney General’s Scheme (jointly with the CSSO). 

•	The Office MAC reviews expenditure trends monthly and budgets for travelling and training have been delegated to line managers with effect from 1 July, 2003.

•	The Law Reform Commission reviews expenditure trends monthly.

•	The Office, in conjunction with the CSSO, will put in place a new Financial Management System to meet  Management Information Framework (MIF)  requirements. This system will interface with new business process systems being implemented under the Offices’ Information Technology Plan.

•	The Office will roll out the MIF initiative which will be aimed at enhancing Value For Money,

•	The Office will, in line with Government Decision of 11 February, 2003, report on progress on implementation of Management Information Framework.

•	The Office is pursuing an Implementation Plan arising from the Report on the Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers.  This includes a review of internal financial procedures both in the Office and the Law Reform Commission, enhanced internal audit function, implementation of MIF and identification of potential risks.

•	A new Case and Records Management System, which covers all Office records, both legal and non-legal, will be installed in the Office in conjunction with the CSSO. It will enhance the quantity and quality of management information and facilitate the introduction of a comprehensive costing package.

November, 2003

October, 2003

March, 2004

October, 2003

March, 2003

End 2003

October, 2003

 

Early 2003

Monthly

October, 2003

September, 2004 –
Costing system to be in place in 2005

Mid 2005

November 2003 – May 2004

November 2003 – May 2004

August 2003 – February 2004

September, 2003

October, 2003

mid 2003

October, 2003

November, 2003

November, 2003

October/November, 2003

End of July, 2003

October, 2003

November, 2003

September, 2003

November, 2003

October/November, 2003

October, 2003

	
Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N/A

N/A

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N/A

N/A

N/A

Y

Y

N/A

Y

N/A

N/A

Y	
•	The initial joint training session on Project Management for AGO and Chief State Solicitor's Office was held in October, 2002.  This was directed at those who were assuming project management roles in respect of big projects e.g. IT and at senior managers.  Another joint training session was held on 12/13 May, 2003. Fourteen attended each session.   A third joint session will be held on 18/19 November, 2003. 
•	Partnership on 14 October, 2003, formally agreed that all big projects in the Office should follow a Project Management methodology.  

The Audit Committee, on 27 February, 2003, received presentations from IT Project Managers on Case and Records Management System, e-Legislation and Management Information System.  The Committee will meet Project Managers again on 10 December, 2003, to review progress.  

One member of Change Management Unit staff, which serve both the Office and the CSSO, completed in training process in July, 2003.  Arrangements being made to train another as soon as training programme is available.  Proposals for reviews approved by  Department of Finance in September,  2003, and work programme now being prepared. The expenditure review of Attorney General’s Scheme will commence before the end of November, 2003.

•	Monthly MAC reviewed expenditure and agreed 2004-2006 Estimates Demand.
•	Professional Accountant who serves both the Office and the CSSO appointed on 18 March, 2003.
•	Delegated budgets to be reviewed before end of 2003 by a working group which had its first meeting on 13 October, 2003.  Working Group will make a progress report to MAC at end- October, 2003, and meet again when 2004 Estimates figures are available with a view to making a final  report on delegations for 2004 to MAC by end of 2003.  
•	Arising from Internal Audit Reports 
o	Revised Foreign Travel Policy  put in place from 1 July, 2003, and 
o	Procedures for ordering Taxis and Couriers put in place from 1 September, 2003,.
•	A Landline Phone Policy was put in place from 1 September, 2003 and an  Internet Usage Policy on 3 October, 2003.  

These Policies and Procedures represent a significant formalisation and clarification of procedures and required staff to sign up to them.

•	Revised process of sanctioning and payment of Counsels’ Fees implemented by Office and CSSO since early 2003 resulting in greater delegation of functions to the Chief State Solicitor's Office. Internal Audit Reports on
•	 Payments process of Counsels’ Fees, 
•	Use of Postal Franking Stamp and 
•	Use of Mobile Phones 

to be considered by MAC at end October, 2003.  

Audit Committee to again review operation of payment of Counsels’ Fees  in April, 2004.  The position in relation to the Payment of Counsels’ Fees will continue to be monitored by the joint AGO/Chief State Solicitor's Office MAC.  

•	The Law Reform Commission in February, 2003, established an Executive Committee composed of its President, full-time Commissioner, Secretary and Project Manager.  The Executive Committee monitors the expenditure of the Commission on a monthly basis.

•	Internal Auditor to undertake an audit of Law Reform Commission’s drawdown of Grant-in-Aid before end- 2003.  The Audit, in respect of which terms of reference have been agreed with the Commission, will commence in advance of the Commission’s final drawdown in late November, 2003.  Earlier Audits of Commission activities covered its Assets Register and Use of Mobile Phones.

•	Following consultation with CMOD Invitation to Tender issued on 1 August, 2003.  Intensive evaluation of 6 responses received to Invitation to Tender ongoing and involving Office-wide participation in both the Office and the Chief State Solicitor's Office , with a view to selection of preferred vendor by early November, 2003.

•	The Office and the CSSO propose to have a combined Accounts Section in place by July, 2004, to operate the new FMS System and to undertake functions currently undertaken on behalf of the Offices by the Department of Finance.  Finance Unit staff currently being trained on the duties involved.

•	Project Team, comprising representatives of the Office and the Chief State Solicitor's Office, to reconvene end of October, 2003, to discuss
•	performance indicators,
•	communications strategy and
•	costing options.  

Work in preparation for this meeting on these issues has progressed throughout the Summer.

•	Outline policy approach to legal service cost methodology to be available by end November, 2003 for the purposes of enabling the development of the FMS. Policy to be finalised by May 2004.

•	First tranche high level financial management (MIF) information requirements to be identified by end November, 2003. Remaining indicators (with particular emphasis on costs of legal service to be available by May 2004).

•	FMS developments to proceed in tandem as regards both Offices,

•	Requirement for financial and non financial indicators are currently being developed across the AGO / CSSO as part of the development of the case and records management system and the FMS. Indicators of human resource type performance will be developed in connection with the HRMS.

Reports made to Government in July and September, 2003.  Next report due in November, 2003. 

•	The Office Implementation Plan was approved in early 2003 by MAC, Partnership and the Audit Committee.  Progress was reviewed by the Audit Committee on 1 October, 2003.
•	The Office’s General Accounting Procedures were updated in mid-2003.
•	The Law Reform Commission have put in place arrangements to ensure segregation of duties in relation to financial payments.

•	Professional Accountant, in conjunction with Internal Auditor, arranging survey of internal financial procedures.  This is to commence at the end of October and be completed by end of November, 2003.
•	Audit Committee to review internal audit function.  This review has commenced.  
•	Business Plans of each Unit to include appropriate risk assessment  – this exercise is to be completed in November, 2003.  A draft disaster and recovery plan for the Library and Know-How Unit prepared during August/September, 2003, will be finalised during October/November.  Where appropriate, it will also be applied to Registry.  Some aspects are already being implemented.

•	Vendor selected end July, 2003, to install new Case and Records Management System  supported by a joint Records Management Policy.  The new single system architecture, covering both Offices will enhance customer service, will achieve cost efficiencies and better internal processes.  Workshops taking place  involving cross-functional teams from the Office and the CSSO to identify requirements. 
•	To facilitate the implementation of the Case and Records Management System, the Office, in conjunction with the Chief State Solicitor's Office, has recently undertaken and is currently finalising the following reviews:
•	Review and evaluation of the functionality proposed by the system vendor;
•	Business process review to ensure that the system supports the Office and that the benefits of the technology supplied will be maximised;
•	Review of current databases to ensure accuracy and currency of all information migrated to the new system on implementation  
•	Identification of integration requirements with other internal and external systems, in particular, eCabinet; and
•	Identification of systems-user training requirements for the changeover from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Outlook.

•	To complement the Case and Records Management System, an office-wide Records Management Policy has been developed and is currently being finalised.  The master classification plan, recently prepared, will support the capture, organisation and management of information, knowledge and expertise.

•	Project Teams for Case and Records Management System, Financial Management System, comprising of representatives of both the Office and the Chief State Solicitor's Office, liaising on costing issue. 

		
	Better Regulation
						
3
(Ref. 20.16)

4
(Ref. 20.17)	The Government is committed to publishing a National Policy Statement on Better Regulation in 2003. 
A model of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) will be introduced on a pilot basis in a number of Government Departments during 2003.  In the light of the pilot phase, a model of RIA appropriate to the Irish context will be introduced.
	•	It is anticipated that the proposed White Paper on Better Regulation which is expected to be published in Summer 2003 will include proposals in respect of improving the accessibility and coherence of Irish Statute law. These proposals will have a substantial impact on the work of the Office and, in particular, the Statute Law Revision Unit. However, the Office as a whole will not be involved in the piloting the RIA model.

	October, 2003

December, 2003

August, 2003

	Y

N/A

Y	•	A member of the Office from the Statute Law Revision Unit (SLRU) was assigned to the High Level Group to assist in the preparation of the White Paper.  He attended all the meetings, contributed to the discussions and undertook considerable advisory and drafting work during the process.
Principles set out in the White paper can be supported by the Office.
•	The SLRU will advise the Attorney General in December, 2003, as to how principles set out in the White Paper can be supported by the Office.

•	The Office of Parliamentary Counsel to the Government agreed, on 27  August, 2003, a number of far-reaching changes to the format of Acts and Bills which result in a legislation format closer to that of other Common  Law jurisdictions.  The resultant changes in layout and presentation of Bills will contribute to making legislation more accessible.  These agreed changes have been subject to consultation with the Bills Office, Houses of the Oireachtas.  It is proposed in due course to widen the consultation process to include key Government Departments and members of the Houses of the Oireachtas.  The changes will link with the overall e-Legislation project. (See Pages 38,39)

5
(Ref. 20.18)	
Well-drafted, easily understood and accessible regulation can reduce the difficulties and costs of compliance for both businesses and citizens. Building on progress in recent years and utilising the provisions of the Statute Law (Restatement) Act, a structured programme targeted on areas where the benefits to business and the citizen are likely to be greatest will be pursued to achieve these  improvements in regulations.	
•	There has been an increase in work related to the policy of Restatement following the enactment of the Statute Law (Restatement) Act 2002. The Office is involved in 
•	advising Departments on the strategy to be adopted to improve access to legislation through a policy of restatement,
•	advising Departments on technical aspects of Restatements and,
•	certification of Restatements by the Attorney General as is required by law.

•	In line with the greater awareness of the need to improve the accessibility and coherence of legislation, following the publication of Reducing Red Tape an Action Plan for Regulatory Reform in Ireland (1999), Regulatory Reform in Ireland (OECD, 2001) and Towards Better Regulation (2002) and the Law Reform Commission’s Report on Statutory Drafting and Interpretation: Plain Language and the Law,  it is anticipated that the Office will experience an increase in consolidation and revision/reform work. Moreover, work involving both drafting and legal advice expertise is currently underway in the areas of company law, the codification of all substantive criminal law and all law relating to the sale of alcohol and consumer law. 

•	Also, in the context of e-Government and e-Legislation, the Office will continue to give consideration to its policy on the making available of legislation electronically. Notwithstanding the fact that the Office may not continue to publish legislation electronically into the future, it is envisaged that the Office will consider the issue of making available the Chronological Tables to the Statutes electronically in association with the Houses of the Oireachtas.

•	The Law Reform Commission, in the context of e-Government commenced in 2003 an e-conveyancing project which will have a major input on conveyancing when implemented.

	
October, 2003

September, 2003

December, 2003

Department of Social and Family Affairs, July – August,  2003
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, 1 June, 2003, to date and continuing in relation to Liquor Licensing Bill.  Department of Finance – September, 2003, Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, July 2003, Department of Defence, July/August, 2003, Department of Marine and Natural Resources, July, 2003.

2004 onwards

September 2003

September, 2003

July, 2005	
Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N/A

Y

N/A

	
•	Six restatements prepared by SLRU under review since June, 2003, by relevant Government Departments.
•	Draft Proposals submitted on 2 September, 2003, to the Attorney General for consideration by the Taoiseach in respect of future restatements and proposals on how policy of Restatement can be implemented more efficiently and effectively in the light of experience.  Work is now in progress on finalising proposals, which will include consideration of a possible public/private partnership, with a view to submission by end  of December, 2003.

Work in hand with relevant Government Departments in relation to consolidating and revising Company Law, Liquor Licensing, Conveyancing law and Criminal Law Codification.

2002  Chronological Tables, Statutes and Statutory Instruments placed on Office website in September, 2003. Work proceeding on preparing 2003 material for putting on the website. Date dependent on improving process for publishing Statutory Instruments, a process which is being worked on by the SLRU and Government Publications.   

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government engaged with the Houses of the Oireachtas in a joint project to develop an XML document format for authoring Bills (a document –type definition) as part of the wider e-Legislation project. The Office now proposes to appoint consultants with the appropriate specialist expertise to develop by  end of November, 2003, DTDs for Statutory Instruments and Restatements in advance of issuing the e-Legislation Request for Tender.

The Law Reform Commission, in the context of e-Government, commenced in 2003 an e-conveyancing legal research project.  The Commission is reviewing the legal implications for the development of e-conveyancing transactions.  It is proposed to have all of the relevant legislation in need of review in draft format by December, 2003.  The Commission will then make proposals to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform with a view to fast-tracking the e-conveyancing project, including drawing up a draft Bill for inclusion in the Consultation Paper rather than at the Report stage which is the usual procedure adopted by the Commission.  It is planned that the Commission’s Consultation Paper will be published by December, 2004, and the follow up report by July, 2005.
		
	Stable Industrial Relations						

6
(Ref. 19.3,  
19.6
and 20.5)	
The parties are committed to maintaining a well-managed industrial relations environment to minimise disputes affecting the level of service to the public
In this regard the agreement provides that:
(i)No cost increasing claims for improvements in pay or conditions of employment will be made or processed during the course of the 
Agreement.

(ii)Precludes strikes or other forms of industrial action on any matter covered by the Agreement.

•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission will monitor the position to ensure that no issue leads to industrial action. 

•	The partnership approach will continue to be used in the Office and in the Law Reform Commission to foster good industrial relations.	
October, 2003

	
Y

	
The continued and increased flexibility of staff combined with a management style in the Office evolved through the Partnership and  PMDS processes, which is conducive to consultation, has resulted in the continuation of stable industrial relations in the Office.

New Specific Action
Partnership agreed, on 14 October, 2003, that there would be by biannual meetings between Management and Unions to consult on issues  with the objective of ensuring that no issue leads to industrial action.  These meetings will not take the place of the Partnership Committee.

•	The Law Reform Commission management and staff meet monthly to discuss appropriate issues.		
	Performance Management Systems

7
(Ref. 20.7)	
Where these are not already in place, the parties agree that appropriate performance management systems will be introduced so that developed performance management systems will be fully operating in each sector of the public service by 1st January, 2005 
	
•	The PMDS has been in place in the Office since 2001. The Office will introduce the centrally produced draft implementation plan for upward feedback subject to any necessary adaptations by integration into the Office’s existing PMDS systems. The current cycle of PMDS commenced in January, 2003. 

•	It is proposed that the Office’s PMDS Implementation Working Group, a Sub-Committee of the Partnership Committee, with cross-Office representation, will meet shortly to consider issues, including upward review, for the next annual cycle of PMDS.  The Office will in 2004 conduct a review, consulting fully throughout the Office, of existing PMDS practices and producing proposals for development and amendment as necessary. In particular, this review will assess the implementation of existing core competencies so as to ensure that they lead to organisational development in the chosen direction of the Office, and in relation to its core functions. Each year the Office will choose appropriate core competencies and implement plans for their development. Priority is being given to PMDS training.

•	A Sub-Committee of the Partnership Committee have been examining the issue of communications within the Office. Arising from their recommendations a  communication strategy will be developed and put in place.

•	Information about expenditure on training identified through PMDS will be provided in Progress Reports.

•	The Law Reform Commission commenced implementation of the PMDS in early 2002 and has consulted with its staff. As a result, the Commission has agreed a core competency profile for each member of staff. From the information obtained a detailed Training Plan will be put in place. This Plan will be reviewed on a quarterly basis in light of the core functions of the Commission.

	
End 2003

September, 2003

2004

October, 2003

Early 2004

October, 2003

End October, 2003

End October, 2004	
Y

Y

N/A

Y

N/A

Y

Y

N/A	
Following the putting in place of the Office Statement of Strategy, 2003-2005, each Business Unit has put in place a Business Plan.  Role Profile Forms were prepared and agreed in respect of each staff member.  Interim Reviews of Role Profile Forms took place in the period July to October, 2003.  Final reviews will be completed by end-2003.

•	Sub-Committee of Partnership established.  First meeting held on 24 September, 2003.  Views of all staff sought on Civil Service General Council Report 1398 on upward feedback.  Consultants to be engaged in early November, 2003, to facilitate the Office in conducting a staff attitudinal/climatic survey of PMDS, in advance of the introduction of upward feedback.  PMDS Group also examining criteria for underperformance.  
New Specific Action
Partnership Committee, on 20 October, 2003, agreed that the appropriate criteria for  upward review will be in place for the next year of PMDS which commences in January, 2004.  It was agreed that the PMDS Group will examine proposals for a criterion to cover the situation where an individual fails to meet most or all of the important or significant commitments in the role profile form, in order to agree on this category with a target date of end 2003 (prior to the commencement of the next PMDS cycle).  

PMDS –  Joint Training session for new AGO and CSSO staff held on 15/16 October, 2003.  (16 attendees – 8 from each Office.)

Report of Sub-Group on Communications in respect of Office Committees to be submitted to Partnership by end-October,  2003.

All training undertaken in Office to date in 2003 has been identified through PMDS – expenditure approximately €98,000.

In January, 2003, the Law Reform Commission published its Strategy and Business Plan, 2003-2005.  Two of the Commission’s 8 administrative staff were replaced in August, 2003.  Role Profile Forms for all staff members will be in place by end- October, 2003.  Appropriate training will be provided to staff so as to roll-out the PMDS Initiative by way of completion of Role Profile Forms, Interim and Final Reviews by end-October, 2004.		
	
Modernisation and Flexibility

8
(Ref. 20.6)	
The parties are committed to increased flexibility to ensure that public services are delivered in a manner which more closely reflects the needs of its customers.  In accordance with this:	
•	Significant flexibility already exists in the Office and in the Law Reform Commission in that staff co-operate to ensure that projects are completed on time and also fill in for absent colleagues on leave etc. Where appropriate, this flexibility will be enhanced. Training will be provided for relevant staff.
	
October , 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003

	
Y

Y

Y

Y

	
•	The SLRU has co-operated extensively with the Public Service Modernisation Division of the Department of the Taoiseach as regards the work of the High Level Group on implementing the OECD Report on Regulatory Reform, and drafting the White Paper.  The SLRU, in this context, has undertaken work representing the State on the OECD Working Party on Regulatory Management and has assisted it in its work with the Russian Federation and acting as peer reviewer of France.  The SLRU has also assisted the OECD in contributing to an APEC/OECD workshop to draft a checklist for self review by APEC/OECD countries of regulatory quality.  

New Specific Action
•	In the context of the need for reprioritisation in relation to the Government’s Legislation Programme arising from the need to facilitate priority drafting of Bills which are urgently required, legal and drafting staff agreed their willingness to reprioritise Bill files and to provide observations on draft General Schemes of Bills in cases where the Government directs on grounds of urgency, that priority be given to a particular Bill.  They also agreed to review the internal processes as a response to urgent requests to draft priority Bills.

•	Training of Legal Researchers in relation to proof-reading of Bills and Statutory Instruments commenced on 21 October, 2003.  Work to be assigned on a pilot basis before roll out to whole of Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.  
•	Training provided in July to September, 2003 to relevant staff to assist as necessary in the Offices of the Attorney General and Chief Parliamentary Counsel.  Clerical Officer Development Course run in two sessions – 19/20 February 2003 (13 participants) and 27/28 May, 2003 (11 participants) and a further session to be held on 11/12 November, 2003 (14 participants).   Training also provided in one legal advisory Group to administrative support staff in relation to knowledge of legal terms.  Similar training available for other areas to administrative support staff who wish to avail of it.  Further inter-Unit flexibilities to be discussed with administrative staff.  
		
	Team working, cross-functional and cross-departmental working

9
(Ref. 21.5)
	
All of the parties will co-operate fully with initiatives in these areas and it remains open to management to implement such initiatives in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

	
•	The Office commits itself to the continuation of team working and cross-functional working initiatives such as the introduction of new IT systems and policies. The Law Reform Commission separately commits itself likewise. 

•	The Office will continue to participate in cross-Departmental initiatives.

•	The Office will continue to promote the use of project management.

•	In line with the Office’s new Knowledge Management Strategy, group meetings in the Office will be developed to promote a culture of sharing knowledge and resources. This will promote a team-working initiative and will assist in improving flexibility and mobility of staff by providing a forum for education of wider Office issues.

•	The new Human Resources Strategy to be agreed by Partnership will focus on issues such as mobility within the Office.
	
October, 2003

October , 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003

2004	
Y

Y

Y

Draft prepared	
Cross-functional teams involving AGO and CSSO staff operating in Case and Records Management,  Financial Management Systems, Human Resource Management System and other projects.  Office of Parliamentary Counsel staff involved with Houses of the Oireachtas staff on e-Legislation project and Department of the Taoiseach in review of Cabinet Handbook in context of e-Cabinet.  Office staff, in consultation with CSSO and other Departments/Offices, on issues such as Operation of Payment of Counsels’ Fees process, Expenditure Reviews, Implementation of Mullarkey and Nally Reports.

•	Staff in the Office participate in many cross-departmental Committees and Commissions (see Appendix) 

Chief Parliamentary Counsel met in September, 2003, with members of Government Legislation Committee and Assistant Secretary  to the Government in relation to revision of Cabinet Handbook in context of e-Cabinet initiative.  Further series of discussion to be held during the next six weeks with the Department of the Taoiseach.

•	The Office re-assigned an Advisory Counsel in the Merrion Street Office and the CSSO reassigned a solicitor in the Chief State Solicitor's Office as full-time project managers for the Case and Records Management project.  A full- time project manager has also been assigned to the e-Legislation project.  As indicated earlier (see page 12) specific training has been provided to relevant staff in the Office and the CSSO.

•	Knowledge Management Strategy being implemented on a phased basis.  The AGO/Chief State Solicitor's Office Library and Know-How Unit prepared a joint Legal Bulletin for the Office and the Chief State Solicitor's Office during August/September 2003, as recommended in the Strategy and this will continue to be produced on a monthly basis. 
•	Group meetings were in place in the legal side of the Office.  In July, 2003, the format of Legal Issues Meetings was changed  so as to ensure a more viable means of spreading knowledge regarding legal issues to take account of increase in legal staff.  Group meetings now held in the administrative area.  These will be intensified throughout the Office to ensure that continuity applies.

Draft HR Strategy to be submitted to MAC at end-October, 2003, prior to being submitted to Partnership Committee.

	New Technology and eGovernment						

10
(Ref. 21.6 
and 21.7)
	
It is accepted that the use of new 
technology may necessitate significant change in work processes in order that the benefits of technology will be maximised.
There will be full co-operation with the design and implementation of eGovernment projects.	
•	Some major IT based initiatives are underway at present in the Office, in conjunction with the CSSO, on foot of its current IT Plan. These include the implementation of a new Case and Records Management System, a new Financial Management System, an e-Legislation system, a Human Resources Management System and a Legal Know-how Application. Also, the Office has prepared a Knowledge Management Strategy 2003 – 2005 in conjunction with the CSSO.  The implementation of this strategy will ensure that both Offices capture, organise and share knowledge, experience and expertise. All of these systems offer opportunities for process review and improvement and these opportunities are being, and will continue to be, availed of where appropriate. All staff commit themselves to adopting the new procedures arising from the implementation of new IT systems within the Office, in particular, full compliance with training obligations which fall out of the implementation of the Plan in relation to the Case and Records Management System, e-Legislation, e-Cabinet etc.,  full compliance with the changeover from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Outlook and training as to Microsoft Outlook and full co-operation with IT training to ensure levels of IT proficiency.  

•	The Office is committed to fully supporting and facilitating the e-Government agenda, particularly e-Cabinet and e-Legislation. The Office is a key driving force behind e-Legislation and will maintain close contact with other stakeholders including the Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas and Government Departments.

•	The Office will continue to co-operate with the Courts Service in the development of its IT strategy. Members of the Office’s legal and IT staff are members of and participate in the work of the Supreme Court Group on Computerisation

•	The Office is committed to improving access to legislation through:

•	The issuing of a revised CD-ROM in December, 2002 showing the statutes, statutory instruments and the Chronological Tables of the Statutes from 1922 to 2001.

•	enhancing the web page on the Office’s website in December, 2002, showing the above.

•	work underway to bring the Chronological Tables on the Office web page up to date in real time by end 2003. The 2002 Statutes will be added to the web page by the third quarter of 2003. 
•	the improvement of the functionality in the presentation of the Chronological Tables on the website, thus improving accessibility.
•	the identification of all legislation enacted by the Parliament sitting at Westminister that remains in force in Ireland and advising Government on a policy to be adopted as regards this body of legislation.

•	The Law Reform Commission will continue to formulate Microsoft Word document templates in order to achieve greater efficiencies in the production of the Commission’s publications.
•	The Law Reform Commission is aware of the potential for reaching a wider audience by the use of its website. This will enable a greater number of submissions and feedback on the recommendations made in its publications.  The Commission will progress the work on its website to enable a more interactive platform.
•	The Law Reform Commission is committed to the ongoing development of its Library in order to achieve maximum efficiencies in electronic format.	
End- 2005

Commence implementation of Case and Records Management System in 2003.
Implementation of Financial Management System in 2004.
Implementation of Human Resources Management System in 2005.
Implement Legal Know-how Application in 2005.
Implement Knowledge Management Strategy by end 2005. 
Implementation of training in new systems to commence in late 2003/early 2004.

Q3 – Q4, 2003 for e-Cabinet and Q4, 2004 for e-Legislation

October, 2003

End 2003

End 2002

First Quarter, 2003

September, 2003

December, 2003

July, 2003

September, 2003

April, 2003

	
N/A

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N/A

Y

Y

Y	
See above (para. 2, p.27-30) re. Case and Records Management System – implementation commenced July, 2003.

See above (para. 2, p. 20-24) re. FMS.

Draft RFT for HRMS being prepared (finalisation delayed pending discussions at a central level to make the implementation process more efficient).

•	The IT Steering Committee, representative of the Office and the CSSO, is considering how and when the Legal Know-How Application might be progressed having regard to the roll out of implementation of the Case and Records Management System.

•	See above (para 5, p. 38-39) re e-Legislation project.

•	Specific New Action
Sixteen staff members commencing a 16 week in-house ECDL Training Course on 4/5 November 2003.  This is a new initiative aimed at increasing the capability of staff to adapt to new technology.  

 

The Office has been represented on the business liaison group for e-Cabinet to ensure that the Office is fully aware of the system’s capabilities and the functionality is developed in a manner that will meet its business requirements.

•	The Office’s involvement in this group is to ensure that the architecture and functionalities of our systems match the requirements of the technology being developed and implemented by the courts in its modernisation programme.

•	The Office is also represented on the Committee on video-conferencing established by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in January, 2003.  This Committee is examining the extent to which video conferencing technology has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the conduct of criminal and civil trials and is currently preparing an interim report to the Minister on this potential with regard to the conduct of pre-trial hearings involving prisoners, such as bail and remand hearings and the facilitation of contact and consultation between lawyers and prisoners.

The CD-Rom containing the 1922-2001 data was made available in December, 2002.

•	The web page was updated with 1922-2001 data in Spring, 2003.

•	The web page was updated with 1922 – 2002 data at end-September, 2003. 

•	Work being undertaken in accordance with plan approved by the Attorney General.  Report to be submitted to Government in December, 2003, will include a draft Statute Law Revision Bill identifying legislation that can be repealed and advising on steps that could be taken to modernise other Acts passed between 1235 and 1922.  

The Law Reform Commission, in July 2003, brought on stream a Microsoft Word Publications Template in order to speed up the Commission’s publications layout.

Law Reform Commission website developed by the Office of the Attorney General’s IT Unit in 2001 was updated in  by the Commission’s own staff  and now provides a Latest News section which is updated as the need arises.  The site also provides full access to all of the Commission’s publications since the foundation of the Commission in 1975.  These can be viewed and downloaded online.

In April, 2003, training in electronic databases in use in the Commission was provided to Researchers and Commissioners, this included;
•	services provided by the library
•	General legal resources available on the internet.

The Commission in co-operation with the Office has 
•	prepared for roll-out of desktops of library catalogue, which will allow researchers to consult library collection from their desks.
•	prepared for roll-out of self-issue in the Commission library, which will allow researchers to borrow books/law reform publications from the collection.

This should facilitate researchers locating items within the Commission.

The preparation undertaken has included
•	identifying programs to be used for each function,
•	investigation of licensing for programs required to access database,
•	investigation of Virtual Private Network as a means of connecting to the database.

These developments will be completed in the first quarter of 2004.

•	Before further development of the Commission’s library system can take place, it will be necessary to put in place some supporting IT based pre-requisites.  Before the library catalogue can be rolled out to the Commission’s legal researcher’s desktops, it will be necessary to purchase additional Citrix licenses.

•	Training will be provided to researchers and Commissioners once the self-issue system is up and running, training will also be provided on using the library catalogue.  It is planned to have this is situ by the end of December, 2003.

•	The AGO Library and Know-How Unit has been working on the library catalogue development with the LRC Information Manager.  A considerable amount of work, including research and program testing, was also carried out by the Unit in preparation for the installation of self issue in the LRC.  The Library and Know-How Unit provides systems administration support for multi-library management system in the Chief State Solicitor's Office and the LRC and this development work forms part of this.

	Atypical Working Arrangements						

11
(Ref. 21.8)
	
The work pattern may be such in specific areas that specific work processes can be performed most effectively by part time staff.
	
Job-sharing is a feature in the Office and staff also avail of parental leave and term time. The Office is also investigating the issue of teleworking and a report has been prepared for Partnership arising from a preliminary feasibility study.	
October, 2003

End October, 2003/early November, 2003	
Y

Y	
•	The Office seeks where possible to accommodate atypical working arrangements and many options are currently availed of by staff.
•	A Sub-Committee of Partnership set up to consider Teleworking had its first meeting on 30 September, 2003.   A second meeting took place on 15 October .  A communication to staff about the possibility of a pilot scheme was issued on 17 October with responses required by 22 October, 2003.  This will be followed by a further meeting on 24 October and an interim report will be produced shortly thereafter.		

12
(Ref. 21.9)
	
Situations may arise where the need to respond to temporary pressures may require the employment of temporary staff or outsourcing of work.  Unions will be notified in advance of initiatives of this kind.	
•	Following consultation with the unions contract workers are employed in the Office and some work is outsourced. This consultation will continue.	
July, 2003

July/October, 2003

November, 2003

August - October, 2003	
Y

Y

Y

Y	
•	Contract lawyer from abroad with expertise in international law worked in the Office on MOX litigation for a year ending on July, 2003. 
•	Four contract workers employed July-December, 2003, following notification to local union representatives, to identify pre-1922 legislation. Union representatives also notified of proposed employment of three contract Legal Researchers and Know- How Officer.  Agreed with local union representative involved on 10 October, 2003, that formal written notification will issue in such cases in the future.

•	Following agreement with the union involved, a drafter is to join the Office on a contract basis in November, 2003.
•	Two student placements and two transition year student placements facilitated since August, 2003.		
	Attendance Patterns						

13
(Ref. 21.10)
	
In order to provide a satisfactory level of service to the public, there is a need in certain areas for changes to the standard working day in order to provide services outside the traditional “9 to 5” pattern. The parties are committed to discussions to establish how this can best be achieved, where required. 	
•	The Office does not have many direct dealings with members of the public and this is, therefore, not a significant issue. In the past, developments with a potential impact on attendance patterns such as changes to the operation of the flexible working hours system have been discussed with staff in advance. This approach will be continued in the future and any proposed change in attendance patterns will be reviewed through Partnership.

•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission operate systems whereby certain staff are available where necessary out of core hours.         

	

October, 2003

October, 2003

September, 2003

	
Y

Y

Y

Y

The Office continues to provide a satisfactory level of service to clients with the introduction of the following initiatives:

•	Typists are available at all times as required and, on a voluntary  rota basis, one is always contactable via mobile phone outside of normal working hours.

•	Certain key staff are available via mobile phone outside of normal working hours.
New Specific Action
•	The need for a formal on-call system will be examined by January, 2004, and an appropriate and formal system put in place by April, 2004.
•	Depending on the workload and its urgency, working late, working at weekends, arriving early and taking much less than the time allowed for lunch are also features of flexible attendance patterns in operation within the Office.

•	On 30 September, 2003, the administrative staff of the Law Reform Commission agreed, without remuneration, to facilitate their availability for out of core working hours arrangements and flexibility rosters were agreed.		
	Redeployment of Staff

14
(Ref. 21.11)
	
Redeployment of staff may be necessary on occasion to respond to urgent work demands.	
•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission have and will continue to reorganise themselves to respond to urgent work demands.	
October, 2003

April - October, 2003

October, 2003

September, 2003

	
Y

Y

Y

Y	
There is significant mobility of staff between the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Statute Law Revision Unit and between the PC Groups and also the AC Groups to respond to urgent work demands.  Other examples include the
•	assignment of full-time project managers for the Case and Records Management project (see paras 2 and 10 above)  and  a full-time project manager for the e-Legislation project,
•	the availability of legal and administrative staff to be involved in the various IT projects, 
•	the assignment without replacement of a second legal member of staff to the Permanent Representation of Ireland in Brussels from end- November, 2003, for seven months, in response to increased demands in the context of Ireland’s Presidency of the Union in 2004, 
•	the assignment of an Advisory Counsel to work full-time on 
important Nuclear Law issues (litigation relating to the MOX plant at Sellafield),
•	 the assignment of a senior Advisory Counsel from the Office on a three-month stage which ended in mid-March, 2003, to work with the Irish Judge on the European Court of Justice,
•	the exchange of Registry staff in the Office with personnel from the CSSO to enable them become familiar with each others Office’s filing systems prior to introduction of the new Case and Records Management System, 
•	the training of Finance Unit personnel in accounting functions formerly undertaken on behalf of the Office by the Department of Finance Accounts Branch,
•	the impending secondment, without replacement, of an Executive Officer by way of Government levy to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and 
•	the ceding of a Clerical Officer post resulting from the Government decision to reduce public service numbers 
all this at a time when the work of the Office is increasing.  The Work undertaken by redeployment of the above staff and the ceding of posts has had to be undertaken by remaining staff.

•	Registry, legal, drafting and administrative staff have co-operated to identify documents due for transfer to Office of National Archives for release in January, 2004.  Some documents pertaining to pre-1973 identified in the process were transferred during the year.  The Registry element was previously outsourced.

•	There is a significant movement of support staff between their designated Groups in order to cover for absences or large work loads.  Similarly, the Office has begun training staff on a voluntary basis, to cover in specialised areas e.g. Private Offices.

•	The Law Reform Commission’s permanent staff consists of a full-time Commissioner, Secretary at AP level and 4 Clerical Officers.  There was therefore no internal promotional opportunities for these staff.  However, sanction was received in September, 2003, for the upgrading of one of the clerical posts to Executive Officer.  This was essential to deal with the increased responsibilities devolving on the Administration of the Commission as well as to ensure an appropriate segregation of duties.  Two of the Clerical Officers transferred to Government Departments during the Summer resulting in their replacement since August, 2003, by two new entrants to the Civil Service.

		
	Management of the Introduction of Change and New Development						

15
(Ref. 21.12)	
In accordance with the partnership approach, unions will be informed in advance of all new significant workplace related initiatives, the reasons for them and the proposed implementation date.
Notification will be given in advance and in sufficient time to allow discussions with the union(s) concerned to take place. Such discussions will cover the nature of the changes involved, the reasons for them and any impact on staff. The discussions will be approached in a partnership manner and will be concluded in time to allow the changes to be introduced by the date specified. Subject to this, it is accepted that management have the right to implement changes in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement.

	
•	Changes and developments in the Office and the Law Reform Commission are discussed as appropriate with unions and staff and also in the case of the Office through the Partnership Committee. Extensive use is made of the Intranet and e-mail systems for keeping all staff in the Office informed of developments.
	
October, 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003	
Y

Y

Y

Y	
The Office, in conjunction with the CSSO,  has established a dedicated Change Management Unit to co-ordinate on behalf of both Offices the introduction of initiatives arising from the SMI and other initiatives with a change management dimension. The Unit consists of an AP, Professional Accountant and HEO to deal with FMS/MIF.  Much of the Unit’s work since July, 2003, has focused on progressing the Financial Management System project.  The Unit communicates via e-mail, Intranet and reports to MAC, Partnership, IT Steering Committee and other groups, as well as individuals as appropriate.  

•	All new Office Policies and Procedures are submitted to Partnership for consideration.

•	Informal and formal contact is maintained between the management and unions in the Office on developments.  As indicated above, this contact will now be enhanced by biannual meetings between both sides.

•	The Law Reform Commission management meet staff on a monthly basis.  

e-Government

16
(Ref. 20.19)

16 a
(Ref. 22.24)	
The parties are committed to the further development of eGovernment on the following basis:
F(i) facilitating better citizen access and interaction with the public service by realising the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs);
	(ii) building collaborative knowledge-based structures focused on serving both citizens and the public service; and 
	(iii) facilitating continuous adaptation and improvement in service delivery by fully utilising ICTs to deliver public services seamlessly and across traditional boundaries.

T  

The parties commit to full co-operation with the further development and implementation of eGovernment policy as outlined in ‘New Connections’, the Government’s Action Plan to realise the potential of the Information Society

	
•	See paras 21.6 and 21.7
•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission will continue to regularly review their websites to ensure that the information contained therein is kept up to date.

 

•	The Office will also develop the Intranet as an important channel of internal communication.

•	See paras 21.6 and 21.7
	
September, 2003

End 2003

End October, 2003

	
Y

Y

	
•	Office website reviewed and updated with the 2002 Chronological Tables, Acts and Statutory Instruments and the Sale of Goods Restatement, the Office’s new Statement of Strategy and details of Office recruitment notices.  As indicated earlier, the Law Reform Commission has also updated its website.  Both websites are reviewed on an ongoing basis.  The Office will further review its website over the next six months with a view to improving its layout and including an Irish version.
•	The nomination of counsel process has been enhanced by the making available of the application form on the Office website since end July, 2003.  The finalisation of the  completed new arrangements as to how applications are be handled will be in place by end 2003.

•	Office currently redesigning and redeveloping intranet in-house with a view to improving the layout and presentation.   

The integration of the Case and Records Management System and the e-Legislation solution with e-Cabinet is a component of both projects (See para. 10 above).		
	
Verification of Change Mechanisms etc
						
17
(Ref. 20.25)
	The parties agree to the establishment of a mechanism to verify that all sectors, organisations and grades in the public service deliver outputs in line with the provisions of this Agreement. This mechanism will be established in accordance with Section 26.

	•	The Office will adhere to the procedures set out in Section 26 of ‘Sustaining Progress’. Progress will be monitored by a Sub-Group of the Partnership Committee.	August-October, 2003.	Y	Partnership Sub-Group representative of all staff established.  Six meetings held since 22 August, 2003.  Reports made by Sub-Group to MAC and Partnership Committee, meetings of Partnership and with Unit Business Heads and meeting with Law Reform Commission also held.  Sub-Group will continue to monitor progress.

18
(Ref. 22.10)	Open recruitment will be introduced for appointments above existing entry levels and one-year contracts will be extended to all new recruits to the Civil Service starting on 1 January, 2004.

	•	The Office will, in consultation with Partnership, implement  Civil Service wide guidelines on one-year contracts on open recruitment.	Dec 2003	

N/A	•	The Office already has open recruitment at Assistant Principal level for its legal staff and on occasion at P.O. level.  The issue of further open competition has been raised with the Partnership Committee and the need for detailed discussions has been agreed.
•	Guidelines from Department of Finance on one-year contracts awaited.

		

19
(Ref. 22.11) 	
In order to deal with certain skills and expertise shortages the following specific measures have been agreed:
(i)Beginning with IT, HR and financial management areas, open recruitment will be introduced 
(ii)Any need for open recruitment will be identified and communicated to the relevant union/unions with a view to reaching agreement on the matter speedily.
(iii)The trade unions are committed to co-operating with such open recruitment in circumstances where there is a need for it.
(iv)In the event that the parties have difficulties on such issues, a third party adjudication mechanism will be established immediately after ratification of this Agreement. This mechanism will make a final decision on any matter referred to it within a two month period.
(v)There will be a review of these arrangements within 12 months to ensure that significant progress is made.

The Office will:

(i)	Identify Skills Shortages. A preliminary task will be to carry out a skills audit in the Office.
(The Office in March, 2003, in conjunction with the CSSO, engaged the services of a Professional Accountant on a two-year contract.)

(ii)	Examine business case for using open recruitment
(iii)	Where relevant, prioritise areas of skills shortages to be targeted for open recruitment
(iv)	refer to the Department of Finance and provide relevant information
(v)	conduct a review within 12 months.

	

2004

		

An audit of the competencies required for all positions throughout the Office began in July, 2003, and has now been finalised.  A report is to go to the Training and Development Committee in October, 2003, and then to  Partnership to identify the skills and competencies required for recruitment, training and promotion purposes.   		

20
(Ref. 22.11)	
(vi) The Civil Service may recruit in any year a number of staff at the level of Higher Executive Officer, Assistant Principal and Principal Officer (and equivalent grades) equal to the number of staff in those grades who had resigned from the Civil Service in the previous year to take up positions in the private sector or elsewhere in the public sector.
(vii) Where posts, which are normally filled by promotion, are filled under the terms of the above arrangements by open competition, they will be regarded as fulfilling the requirements to fill posts by interdepartmental competitions and will also count towards the fulfillment of quotas of posts to be filled by open recruitment at lower levels where appropriate.
	
•	The Office will identify numbers who resigned from Civil Service in the course of 2002, at the level of HEO, AP, and PO (and equivalent grades).

•	The Office already conducts exit interviews to capture information (where necessary)

•	The Office will identify numbers who resigned in course of 2003 from Civil Service at the level of HEO, EO and AP (and equivalent grades)	
July, 2003

October, 2003

February, 2004

	
Y

Y

N/A

	
The Office has provided the relevant information to the Department of Finance.  

Exit interviews continue to be held. While the content of each interview is confidential, a  report will be made annually to MAC on the findings.

21
(Ref. 22.14, and 22.15)	
Discussions will take place so that greater use of competitive, merit-based promotions within Departments will be introduced and progressed over the life of the Agreement.  Progress in this regard must be based on competitive selection methods used in Departments demonstrating best practice in this area. 
Specific measurable progress is to be made within individual Departments on a progressive basis over the life of the Agreement. 

	
•	Competitive merit-based promotions already apply for legal grades and for some non-legal grades in the Office. The Office will following discussions at Partnership level begin implementation of Guidelines for the remainder of the Office.	
September, 2003	
Y	
Following consultation with the Unions and further discussion through the Partnership Committee, staff in the AGO agreed to the introduction of merit-based competitions for all future internal promotions.  The new system is in place since end-September, 2003.		
22
(Ref. 22.16)	In the case of grades that are covered by the Executive Officer dual promotion structure, the following arrangements will apply:
(i) Discussions will take place with a view to concluding an agreement on extending the proportion of competitive merit-based promotions within Departments by mid-2004 and their introduction at the first opportunity thereafter;
(ii) Where competitive promotion systems do not apply in Departments they will be introduced and progressed over the life of the Agreement.	•	As above	

Mid-2004		

See above.

See above.

		

23
(Ref. 22.17)	
(ii) The proportion of posts filled under mobility provisions of interdepartmental promotion competitions will be increased from 33.3% to 40% from the beginning of the next competitions to be held under the existing arrangements for interdepartmental promotion schemes. This proportion will be increased to 50% from the date equating to the commencement of the next subsequent competition for promotion to Principal level. 

In this context, provision, will be made where feasible for a scheme of regional interdepartmental competitions outside the Dublin area to be in place as early as possible;	
•	The Office will ensure from next open competition that 40% of relevant vacancies are filled by interdepartmental panel and in due course increase to 50%.

	
From mid-2003		
Vacancies fillable by interdepartmental competition will be filled from that panel taking account of the new arrangement.  No fillable vacancies have arisen since mid-2003.		

24
(Ref. 22.17)	

In the event that problems arise in direct discussions in relation to the manner in which any of the above provisions are to be implemented, the issues involved will be processed with the aid of a facilitator, and if necessary, referred to a third party adjudication in order to assist the parties meet the objectives identified above.

•	The Office will if necessary through the Partnership Committee refer any issues to a facilitator or to a third party for adjudication and provide relevant information. 

	

N/A	

The situation has not arisen.		
	Training

25
(Ref. 20.20)

25 a
(Ref. 22.20)	
The parties are committed to continued training and development for all staff

The target spend on training and development in the Civil Service will be 4% of payroll by 2003.	
•	The Office’s Statement of Strategy 2003 – 2005 and the Law Reform Commission’s Strategy and Business Plan 2003 – 2005 place particular focus on the need for a knowledge-based organisation. The importance of ensuring that staff have access to continued training and development opportunities is emphasised.

•	The Office has set aside 4% of payroll as a target for the training and development of all staff. Since 2001 it has put in place a Training and Development Officer, a Training and Development Committee, which is a Sub Committee of the Partnership Committee and a new Training and Development Room with appropriate facilities. Much training is undertaken in-house but where necessary other training at home and abroad is undertaken. The training programme is also made available to the staff of the Law Reform Commission. Currently training is focused to address the Office’s special requirements and priority is given to training needs identified in PMDS Role Profile Forms. In 2001 and 2002 the Office exceeded the 4% of payroll target.  The position for 2003 and succeeding years will be kept under review including the requirement to achieve value for money and reported upon in the Office’s Annual Reports.

•	A Training Needs Analysis for the Office is nearing finalisation.  

•	A Training and Office Development Strategy taking account of the Civil Service Strategy will form part of the Office’s Human Resources Strategy currently being prepared.  Partnership will be consulted.

•	A breakdown of the overall expenditure on training e.g. travel and subsistence will be provided in Progress Reports.  Such a breakdown as provided to CMOD is available for 2001 and 2002.

	
October, 2003

Ongoing

October, 2003

October, 2003

July, 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003	
Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

	
Every opportunity is provided to staff in the Office and the Law Reform Commission to encourage them to participate in training and development.  Staff are notified of relevant courses having regard to what has been identified in their Role Profile Forms.

•	The Library and Know-How Unit prepared information skills training programmes covering January-June and October-December, 2003.  The purpose of these training sessions is to increase staff awareness of the range of information resources available and to ensure that these resources are used effectively.  This year, the Unit provided sessions on the know-how database, Irish Statute Book, ECHR information on the Intranet, information resources for Private Office staff, finding EU information electronically, Butterworths Direct databases, Justis, web-search engines, legal intranet resources etc.  These courses have all been well-attended and both formal and informal feedback has been positive.

•	Training Officers in Office and CSSO have agreed arrangements for  joint training where appropriate so as to achieve maximum value for money.
•	Partnership will consider the issue of mentoring/coaching for new staff in the context of Human Resources Strategy.

•	Training Needs Analysis considered by MAC and referred for consideration by the Training and Development Committee and Partnership.
•	Training Plan for 2004 being developed which will take into account the needs identified by the Training Needs Analysis.
•	Office has actively engaged in Civil Service Training and Development Framework.
•	Office Training and Development Strategy being prepared. 

Overall expenditure on training to date in 2003 is €183,000 i.e. 2.7% of payroll.  €32,000 of this relates to travel and subsistence, €23,000 in respect of consultants and external trainees and  €30,000 in respect of overheads.  The availability of its inhouse Training Room has resulted in major savings being achieved by the Office in offering courses to its staff.  Best value is looked for in arranging courses.
		
	Partnership

26
(Ref. 22.23)

27
(Ref. 20.9)	
The recommendations of the Review of Partnership in the Civil Service will be considered by a Sub-
Group of General Council which will present proposals for the development of partnership to General Council.

The parties are committed to building upon the structures that have been established, and to further embedding and refining the process across the public service, in order to deliver real improvements in performance at organizational level, involve staff in the change and modernization process and improve the working environment.	
•	The Office Partnership Committee is currently examining how it might be further embedded and it will take account of any agreement reached at General Council.
•	The Partnership Committee is notified of all developments arising from meetings of the Change Management Network and other fora and these are considered by the Committee.
•	The Partnership Committee is consulted about all Office policies and procedures being put in place.  This enables all staff in the Office to contribute to the formation of Office policies and procedures.

•	A Sub-Group of Partnership has been established to review progress in implementation of this Action Plan. This and other Partnership Sub-Committees provide an opportunity for those who are not members of the Partnership Committee to be involved.

	

October, 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003	

Y

Y

Y	
Sub-Group on Action Plan examining Partnership role.  Extensive use is being made both of the Partnership Committee and Sub-Groups to deal with issues.

•	Partnership Committee continues to be notified.

Partnership Committee have recently agreed revisions to Office Foreign Travel Policy, agreed a new Landline Phone Policy and new Internet Policy as well as new Procedures for ordering Taxis and Couriers.  

Specific New Action
The Committee is considering Procedures in relation to Increments and Sick Leave  and there is a commitment to have them agreed by end -2003.  A Sub-Committee of Partnership is considering Procedures on Probation and it has been agreed that it will report to Partnership within two months of the availability of the updated Department of Finance circular expected in early 2004.

Sub-Groups established involve many not on Partnership itself. Separate Sub-Groups of Partnership are in place to consider issues relating to Training and Development, PMDS, Client Service, Teleworking, Merit Pay, Communications and Probation as well as to monitor implementation of this Action Plan.  It is envisaged that the Human Resources Strategy will also be considered by a Sub-Group.

		
	
Equality

28
(Ref. 22.25)	
The parties agree to continue to work to promote equality of opportunity for all Civil Service staff in accordance with these policies. 	
•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission will implement policies / targets on equality and diversity. 
•	The Office is aware of its obligations in relation to the employment of persons with disabilities and keeps the situation under review. Specific actions have included refurbishment of the building to make it more accessible to wheelchair users and informing the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission of this. The Law Reform Commission’s building is also wheelchair friendly. Additionally, the Office is willing to provide appropriate training for new entrants with disabilities such as basic IT skills.  Currently the Office is (0.5%) below the target of 3% in respect of employment of people with disabilities. All future recruitment competitions will make specific reference to the facilities available. The Law Reform Commission is 2% above the target of 3% in respect of employment of people with disabilities.

•	The Office exceeds the gender balance targets already set by the Civil Service. Currently, 43% of AP level, 45% of PO level and 46% of A/Sec and above are filled by women.
•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission will promote existing Diversity and Gender Equality Policies

•	The Office has already achieved the Government target of 33% of AP posts filled by women. The Office will seek to ensure that the target level is maintained.  Currently 43% of AP level posts, 45% of PO level posts and 46% of A/Sec and above posts are filled by women.

•	The Office and the Law Reform Commission will report on the above issues in their respective Annual Reports.

•	The situation will be kept under review.
	
End 2003

June, 2003

2004 and 2005

October, 2003
	
Y

Y

Y

N/A

Y

Audit of Office premises  being commissioned with a view to completion in end-December, 2003.   Issues for consideration include the replacement of swipe card readers on internal doors with proximity card readers and lift buttons with brail buttons so as to accommodate any staff or visitors to the Office with disabilities.  Consultation held with Department of the Taoiseach because of shared-office accommodation implications.

•	The change of staff in the Law Reform Commission has reduced its percentage in respect of employment of people with disabilities.  The Commission will address the matter when next a vacancy arises in its staff.  
•	Competitions for Legal Researchers and Know-How Officer advertised in June, 2003, made appropriate reference to facilities.  

See across

The position has been kept under review.

28 a
(Ref. 22.27)

28 b
(Ref. 20.21)	
The Department of Finance is currently drawing up proposals with a view to developing action plans to ensure that the Government’s policy, of a 3% employment target for people with a disability, is implemented as effectively as possible. Particular consideration will be given to improving monitoring arrangements.

The public service will continue to build on the significant progress which has been made in regard to policies on equality and diversity in order to promote equal opportunity in all aspects of civil and public service employment.

	
•	Currently the Office is 0.5% below the 3% employment target for people with disabilities. The Law Reform Commission is 2% above the 3% employment target for people with disabilities. The Office will when recruiting new employees seek to meet the target by way of drawing special attention to its facilities to employ and accommodate persons with disabilities. The Civil and Local Appointments Commission has been informed and all future competitions will include reference to the facilities.

•	The HR Strategy to be prepared, in consultation with the Partnership Committee, will review issues relating to equality and diversity.	

June, 2005 for overall target

2004		

See above

See above		

Advisory Board National Children’s Office
Assistant Secretaries Network
British and Irish Association of Law Librarians
Change Management Network
Civil Service Information and Communications Technology Managers Forum
Civil Service Metadata Group
Civil Service Quality Customer Service
Consultative Committee
Civil Service Quality Customer Service Officers Network
Civil Service Training Officers Network
Civil Service Webmaster Forum
CMOD Content Managers Stakeholders Group
Commission on the Assisted Human Reproduction
Commission on the Private Rented Residential Sector
Company Law Review Group
Consultative Committee on Law Reform
Consumer Advisory Council.
Convention (for the Future of Europe) Oversight Group
Council of Europe Committee on Administrative Law
Council of EU Working Party on Legal Data Processing
Council of Europe Committee of Experts in Family Law
Court Rules Committees
Cross-Departmental Team on Infrastructure
EU Working Party on Legal Data Processing
Expert Group on Proposals arising out of Garda S.M.I. Report
Expenditure Reviewers Network
FOI Interdepartmental Working Group
FOI Liaison Officers Network
FOI Users Network Group
Government Legislation Committee
Government Libraries Managers Network
Government Libraries Section, Library Association of Ireland
Hague Conference on Private International Law
High Level Group drafting White Paper on Better Regulation
Implementation Group on Compensation Issues
Interdepartmental Committee on Hearing Loss Litigation
Interdepartmental Co-Ordinating Committee on EU Affairs 
Interdepartmental Committee Co-Ordinating Nuclear Matters
Interdepartmental Group on EU Justice and Home Affairs
Interdepartmental Group on the EU Convention
Interdepartmental Group on Legislative Issues for the Information Society
Interdepartmental Group on Oireachtas Scrutiny of EU legislation
Interdepartmental Group on the Presidency of the EU 2004
Interdepartmental HRMS Technical Group 
Interdepartmental HRMS User Group
Interdepartmental Task Force on the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities
Interdepartmental Group on UN
Interdepartmental Working Group on Compensation Issues
Interdepartmental Steering Committee on Implementation of the Mullarkey Report
Internal Audit Network
International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability 
International Maritime Organisation Legal Committee
Irish Unicorn Users Group
Justice Committee of the Institute of European Affairs
Management Group for Judicial Reviews in Asylum Cases
MIF Consultative Committee
MIF Project Management Sub-Group
Ministerial Committee on Nuclear Safety
Ministers and Secretaries Group on European Matters
National Strategy Review Group on the Common Fisheries Policy
“No-Fault” Advisory Group (a working group established to recommend a “no-fault” scheme
of compensation for babies with birth-related brain damage)

OECD Working Party on Regulatory Management
Personal Injuries Assessment Board Implementation Group
Personnel Officers Network
PMDS Network
Post-Nally Committee on Issues Relating to DPP
Quality Customer Service Working Group
Sea Fisheries Licensing Review Group
Secretaries General and Heads of Offices Group
Single Regulatory Authority Implementation Advisory Group
State Claims Agency Liaison Committee
Steering Committee for the Pilot Project to establish an on-line small-claims procedure
Steering Group on Systems Review of Department of Agriculture and Food
Strategic Management Initiative Communications Sub-Group
Strategic Management Initiative Implementation Groups
Tax Strategy Group
Third Pillar Steering Group
Tribunals and Inquiries
UNCITRAL (The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law)
UNCITRAL Working Group on Arbitration
UNICITRAL Working Group on Electronic Commerce
UNICITRAL Working Group on Insolvency
Working Group on Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers
Working Group on Company Law Compliance and Enforcement
Working Group on Jurisdiction of the Courts
Working Group to discuss the implications of the establishment of a Referendum Commission with limited functions

Working Group to Review Coroners Services

SUSTAINING PROGRESS
REPORT OF THE CHIEF STATE SOLICITOR’S OFFICE

24th October, 2003.

	COMMITMENT	SPECIFIC ACTION 	DATE
	ACHIEVED
YES – Y
NO -  N	IF NOT YET ACHIEVED OR DID NOT MEET COMMITMENT DATE PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS	
	Common Commitments					
	
CUSTOMER SERVICE	
1.
[20.13]	All public service organisations over the course of this Agreement will be required to commit publicly to service standards for their customers. Performance will be evaluated against these standards and the results published in annual reports or another appropriate format. Improvements in customer service will be a particular focus of the partnership structures going forward.	A Customer Action Plan was issued in mid-2002.  That plan sets down objectives for service standards to client Departments / Offices in areas such as meetings and liaison with clients, documentation, response times, consistency of advice, skills development, equality, web site development and Court hearings.   	Mid 2002	Y		
		Customer Action Plan Commitments include:

Provision of Specialist Service

•	Six specialist legal staff at principal solicitor grade have been appointed.

Outcomes are:

o	Dedicated management of property law services for key clients such as Departments of Defence and Marine.

o	Re-organisation of resources available to manage and defend court proceedings and Inquiry business in the area of child abuse with particular reference to current High Court litigation, Laffoy Commission and Redress Board matters.

o	Dedicated specialist management of Justice and Crime portfolio with particular attention to extradition caseload. Also specialist attention to the commencement and operation of the new European arrest warrant procedure.

o	Strengthening of specialist lawyer input to judicial review cases taken against the Government, Department and State Offices.

o	Strengthening of specialist lawyer input into Constitutional and Commercial litigation cases taken against the State.

August, 2003	

Y	

The Office is committed at strategic level to the development of those specialist legal skills that best serve the demands of State. At a human resource level the Office recognises the needs to provide a balance for the development of legal staff as between staff with generalist skills, specialist legal skills and management skills.

The principal performance indicators will relate to success in securing the key objective of the AGO Statement of Strategy to develop specialist legal skills.	
		Commercial Contracts

The Chief State Solicitor’s Office has assigned a Solicitor specifically to deal with commercial contract work for Government Departments and Offices.	

2002	

Y		
		Communications Strategy, as a Customer Action Issue

•	New logo, corporate design adopted and is due for roll out by October 2003  

•	Dedicated IT link with OPW (for case instruction updates) – Extranet connection to be developed.

•	Work response times to be driven into workflows being prepared for case and record management system. By July, 2004.

•	New web site to be constructed by February, 2004 – See Note D in Appendix

End October, 2003

February, 2005.

July 2004

The working group preparing the automated work flows have been tasked to use’ plain English’ and to apply the response times committed in the Office’s Customer Action Plan.

	
		Use of ‘plain language’ as a Customer Action Issue

•	The CSSO is committed to a change-over to ‘plain language’ in all its documentation. This commitment is expressed within the Customer Action Plan. A wide ranging discussion on the need for ‘plain English’ has been initiated with the Office through Partnership and have involved meetings between senior management and all staff. 

Further specific action:

o	Use of plain language to be specified for the review of all Office documentation forming part of the case and record management work-flows

o	Requirement for use of plain English to be included in induction model

o	Use of plain English to be included in Training Plan. Time frame: Immediately.

On-going

October, 2003

October, 2003

October, 2003	

Y

Y

Y
	Principal output will be a modernisation in the communications of the Office with shift from traditional ‘legalese’ expression to a contemporary communicative style. Outputs will also include the effectiveness of CSSO legal writing in terms of its persuasiveness. 

Key performance indicators will revolve around each of the specific actions and will be elaborated in business plans.

The working group preparing the automated work flows have been tasked to use’ plain English’ and to apply the response times committed in the Office’s Customer Action Plan.

The Human Resource Section has been tasked to include a ‘plain English’ module in its induction programme with immediate effect. Also tasked to cover the commitment to plain language in its training plan.
	
		Local State Solicitor Service.

o	The Office is currently negotiating terms for the transfer of the local State Solicitor service from the responsibility of the Attorney General to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

o	A formal Offer to be made to State Solicitors Association mid October, 2003

o	Conclude negotiations

o	Establish Transitional Committee and effect formal transfer.

October, 2003

November, 2003

January, 2004	

Y	

Awaiting response to offer.	
1a
[22.4]	All Departments and Offices will publish a charter of service standards and report on performance against these standards in their annual report.

The Office will publish its First Charter of Service Standards
	The work on the writing of a charter of service standards will commence after the completion of the current round of business plans – and not later than early December 2003. To be finalised by February 2004

Client Meetings:

Regular client meetings now take place, e.g.,

o	OPW Conveyancing and Property cases,
o	State Claims Agency,
o	Childhood Abuse,
o	Public Law,
o	Asylum cases,

In the case of the Office of Public Works meetings take place at team leader level and are being augmented by lower level meetings to effectively track progress on files at the operational level. A new working group (comprising Head of Property Management, a Team Leader from Property Management, IT support and Team Leader from CSSO) has been formed to develop a system for on-going and effective tracking of files from inception to completion both in OPW and CSSO. The development of milestones is underway both as regards the day to day management of workload and the overall long term management of files.

These are currently contained with the Office’s Customer Action Plan and are published to the AGO/ CSSO website.	December 2003

Established and on-going

2002

	

Y

Y

EFFICIENT USE 
OF RESOURCES

2.

[20.11]	
The parties to this Agreement will co-operate fully with the modernisation and change required to ensure that maximum value is achieved from all public expenditure in terms of defined outputs and outcomes.

	
Expenditure Reviews:

•	The expenditure review process will commence late 2003 and will be carried out in the following areas.

o	The Attorney General’s Scheme – This is the legal aid scheme funded by the Attorney General’s Office and by which legal fees are paid to applicants in bail cases and criminal judicial review cases. 

o	Payments to stenographers – The services of stenographers are being used in a greater number of State cases and are expensive. Review will focus on VFM and opportunities to save costs.

o	Cost Recovery – this review will focus on cost and efficiency issues in the recovery of legal expenses awarded to the State in successful litigation.	

November, 2003

Spring 2004

Summer, 2004

	

Note: Staff  have volunteered and training will be arranged to enable reviews take place on time.

Outputs of the review process will include management information by which to identify effective spending and ineffective spending and to guide management in preparing estimates and in making savings.

The principal performance indicator will be the gain to the Office in driving our unnecessary costs.

		Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers.  

•	The Office is preparing an Implementation Plan arising from the Report on the Accountability of Secretaries General and Accounting Officers.  

•	Presentation of advanced draft to MAC and Partnership by September 2003,  

•	Adoption of draft plan

September, 2003

December, 2003	

Y		
		Internal Audit and Risk Assessment.

•	The Office shares an Internal Audit Committee which the Attorney General’s Office. Officers of the CSSO participate on the Committee both as members and as observers. The Committee has an external Chair and two other external members including a civil servant at Assistant Secretary level.

•	The Office shares an internal auditor with the Attorney General’s Office.

•	Audit reports have been produced including in the following areas, i.e.,

o	Counsels’ Fees,
o	Travel policy,
o	Mobile phones (AGO),
o	Foreign travel policy,
o	General payment procedures.

•	The Audit Committee received presentations from IT Project Managers on Case and Records Management System, e-Legislation, Management Information System and Human Resources System on 27 February 2003.  The Committee will meet Project Managers again on 10 December, 2003, to review progress.  

•	A Pilot risk analysis was recently carried out in the Public Law area of this Office. This resulted in the identification of a specific risk in the area of management of appeals to the Supreme Court. This analysis enabled the introduction of a new Computer based solution to quality assure the process.

•	Some devolution of responsibility for budget has already taken place, i.e., for IT Section and for Library. Further devolution is planned to take place in January, 2004 when responsibility for training and travel budgets will be devolved.

•	The CSSO is preparing to undertake a review of its internal financial procedures and this review will be complete by February, 2004.

2002

2002

2002 – to date

January, 2003 – ongoing.

August, 2003

January, 2004

February, 2004.

	

Y

Y

Y.

Y.

Y.

N

N

		Financial Management System

•	A new financial management system will be developed and in place by September 2004 in conjunction with the AGO, as part of a wider implementation of a MIF

o	Evaluation of tenders to be completed by early November and contract awarded.

o	Outline policy approach to legal service cost methodology to be available by end November, 2003 for the purposes of enabling the development of the FMS. Policy to be finalised by May 2004.

o	First tranche high level financial management (MIF) information requirements to be identified by end November, 2003. Remaining indicators (with particular emphasis on costs of legal service to be available by May 2004).

o	FMS developments to proceed in tandem as regards both Offices, 

o	Requirement for financial and non financial indicators are currently being developed across the AGO / CSSO as part of the development of the case and records management system and the FMS. Indicators of human resource type performance will be developed in connection with the HRMS.

o	Sanction for recruitment of account technician staff to be sought / obtained from Department of Finance by February, 2004 and recruited by August, 2004.

o	Roll out of FMS: Full roll out by July, 2004.

o	The Office will, in line with Government Decision of 11 February, 2003, report on progress on implementation of MIF.

Payment of Counsels’ Fees:

•	New arrangements have been put in place for the sanctioning of payment of counsels’ fees which delegate authority (subject to audit controls) to legal officers more directly involved in the case.

•	In support of these arrangements:

o	A database of patterns of payments of counsels’ fees in judicial review cases has been prepared to assist with consistency of sanction,

o	A group has been established to write guidelines on application of fees to be sanctioned in personal injury and torts. Report expected October, 2003.

	

September, 2004

November, 2003

November, 2003 – May 2004

November 2003 – May 2004.

August, 2003 – February, 2004.

February 2004

July, 2004

December, 2004

July, 2003

May, 2003

August, 2003

N

N

N

Y

Y

		

BETTER REGULATION

3.
[20.16]

4.
[20.17]	
The Government is committed to publishing a National Policy Statement on Better Regulation in 2003. 

A model of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) will be introduced on a pilot basis in a number of Government Departments during 2003.  In the light of the pilot phase, a model of RIA appropriate to the Irish context will be introduced.	
While the CSSO is not directly involved in servicing Better Regulation policy, the Office of the Attorney General is heavily involved.

•	However, the CSSO will take on the following specific action,

o	To enter into discussions with the Office of the Attorney General to consider a role for the CSSO in furthering policy on Better Regulation.

o	To complete these discussions by mid November, 2003.

o	To adopt a role by mid December, 2003.

In addition:

o	Senior staff in the Judicial Review Section have participated in the Law Reform Commission’s research project on practice and procedure in Judicial Review and have made submissions on reform in this area.

o	The Office has accepted an invitation to send a representative to the Special Commission on the practical operation of the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters and the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters (The Hague, 28th October to 4th November, 2003).

o	Staff have previously been involved on inter-department working groups dealing with the implementation of the PIAB proposals.	

October 2003

November 2003

December, 2003

2002 & ongoing

October, 2003-10-24

2002	

Y

Y

Y

Y

Discussions have commenced.	

5.
[20.18]	Well-drafted, easily understood and accessible regulation can reduce the difficulties and costs of compliance for both businesses and citizens. Building on progress in recent years and utilising the provisions of the Statute Law (Restatement) Act, a structured programme targeted on areas where the benefits to business and the citizen are likely to be greatest will be pursued to achieve these  improvements in regulations.

	

	
STABLE INDUSTRIAL
RELATIONS

6.
[19.3,
19.6
and 20.5]	
The parties are committed to maintaining a well-managed industrial relations environment to minimise disputes affecting the level of service to the public
In this regard the agreement provides that:

(i)No cost increasing claims for improvements in pay or conditions of employment will be made or processed during the course of the 
Agreement.

(ii)Precludes strikes or other forms of industrial action on any matter covered by the Agreement.

	
All parties are committed to the Partnership approach to modernisation within the Office and open discussion between Office and unions. In the event that any issue cannot be resolved within Partnership or by the usual IR processes the parties will utilise the processes established under ‘Sustaining Progress’. 

Partnership shall continue to play a lead role in the management of change and modernisation.

Any staff side proposals to be considered in the context of the commitment to have no cost increasing claims. 	
	
Y

Y

Y		
	
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT 
SYSTEMS

7.
[20.7]	
Where these are not already in place, the parties agree that appropriate performance management systems will be introduced so that developed performance management systems will be fully operating in each sector of the public service by 1st January, 2005 
	
The PMDS has been in place for all staff since November 2001.   A review of the system is being undertaken following which proposals for development and amendment will be formulated. 

The core competences selected for 2004 comprise

o	Customer Service,
o	Communications,
o	Technical Capabilities,
o	Managing People (including teamwork).

Plans to roll-out upward feedback are under discussion at a sub-committee of Partnership. A climate survey is being formalised and is due for circulation by December 2003.

Sub-committee of Partnership is drafting a position for the Office on the implementation of upward feedback within PMDS. This is due for completion in January  2004.

Continue development of more structured approach to the monitoring, assessment and development of staff during  probation. HR Section have reviewed the Probation process and have prepared a draft policy document for the guidance of the Office and this policy has been approved by Parrtnership.

Review to be completed by November 2003

October 2003

December, 2003

January, 2004

Summer, 2003

.

July, 2003	

Y

Y	

MODERNISATION AND 
FLEXIBILITY

8.
[20.6]	The parties are committed to increased flexibility to ensure that public services are delivered in a manner which more closely reflects the needs of its customers.  In accordance with this:
	Flexibility is a feature of the Office, with regular re-organisation of staff, responsibilities and sections in response to changing demands. The Office will review the organisational arrangements to align them with client needs. 

•	Flexibility will be supported by Training Play which is due in December 2003

•	Policy approach to rotation of Staff 

•	Development of Knowledge Management element of IT Strategy. Specific goal: Seek and obtain Finance sanction for a Know – How Officer by February 2004 and recruit by June 2004. See, Note C in Appendix.

•	Identification of specialist requirements of clients and aligning recruitment, training and organisation structure accordingly.

•	Development of additional organisational capability, especially in areas of record management and costing of service. Specific goals are: Seek and obtain Finance sanction for a records officer (archivist) by February 2004 and recruit by June 2004. Similarly for two accounts technicians to support costing module of FMS.

•	Development of Knowledge Management element of IT Strategy. Specific goal: Seek and obtain Finance sanction for a Know-How Officer by February 2004 and recruit by June 2004.

•	The Chief State Solicitor’s Office continues to be flexible in the allocation of its staff resources to Tribunals of Inquiry. It should be noted  that the Office currently provides 6 solicitors to work at the Tribunals of Inquiry which are running contemporaneously.  In addition the Office has to provide 2 Solicitors as and when required to represent the Public Interest. 

•	The Chief State’s Solicitors Office provides two Solicitors to deal with the ongoing international arbitration against the United Kingdom arising out of the operation of the MOX plant at Sellafield and has developed in competence in the area of Nuclear Law accordingly.  

December, 2003

March 2004

February, 2004

February, 2004

February, 2004

Ongoing

Ongoing	

Y

Y	

Note: Rotation of staff issue has been referred to Human Resources Sub Committee of Partnership for a recommendation by February, 2004.	
	
TEAM WORKING AND 
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL 
WORKING

9.
[21.5]
	
All of the parties will co-operate fully with initiatives in these areas and it remains open to management to implement such initiatives in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

	
Teamwork has been specified as a required competence for PMDS purposes.

•	Examples of effective team working within the Office include:

o	Use of teams within the Asylum Section to create a judgements and advices database (Project completed), to develop asylum law practice workflows and documentation (ongoing) and to collate relevant statutes and S.I.s.

o	Specialist teams have been created in the Public Law Division to deal with child welfare and special education needs, tobacco litigation, taxi de-regulation, challenges to the intoxilyzer and intoximeter equipment (to detect alcohol level in drink driving ), foot and mouth compensation claims by Cooley farmers, Donegal Garda cases, adoption cases and transfer of sentenced persons cases.

•	The Conveyancing and Property Law Division of the Office is organised on a Team basis.

•	Evidence of ability to work as a team member to be sought at recruitment stage. This action to be embedded into the recruitment process and the recruitment process to be documented by February, 2004.

•	Evidence of ability to lead a team to be sought in promotional process. This action to be embedded into the promotional process immediately and reflected in the documentation of the recruitment process which should be commenced in March, 2004 and completed in August 2004. 

•	Team working to be manifest in working with counsel and with Attorney General’s Office. Action: Embed into outcome of review of how solicitor staff interact with staff of AGO: Time Frame: This is being considered in the current review of business plans.

•	Inter-Office Team Work on Legal Issues exists, e.g.,

o	This Office with the Attorney General’s Office have set up a joint team to review, analysis and report by November 2003 on the process and  payment of counsels’ fees. 

o	The Office, in conjunction with the CSSO, has established a dedicated Change Management Unit to co-ordinate on behalf of both Offices the introduction of initiatives arising from the SMI and other initiatives with a change management dimension.

o	A Joint Attorney General’s Office/Chief State Solicitor’s Office Working Group has been established to examine how the State Legal Services in Ireland deal with European Litigation.  One of the first initiatives of this Group has been the policy of notifying Government Departments of Article 234 References to the European Court of Justice, by Courts in other Member States, where we consider that the Department concerned may wish to make Written Observations in relation to the Reference.

2002 / 3

2002 / 3

2002 /3 

February, 2004

March – August, 2004.

February, 2004

November, 2003

2002 / 3

Y

Y

Y

Y

	

Note: Human Resource Section has been tasked to document current practices in recruitment and promotion and to incorporate guidelines to test the team ability competence.	
	
NEW TECHNOLOGY
AND eGOVERNMENT
	
10.
[21.6
and 21.7]
	It is accepted that the use of new technology may necessitate significant change in work processes in order that the benefits of technology will be maximised.
There will be full co-operation with the design and implementation of eGovernment projects.	The most fundamental change being undertaken by the Office, jointly with the Attorney General’s Office, is the implementation of its IT strategy (2001 – 2005).  The changes contemplated in this strategy are enormous in scale and in service terms and HR terms. The constituent elements of the strategy comprise
 
o	Records policy,

o	Case and records management system – See Note 1, Appendix,

o	Financial management system – See Note 2, Appendix,

o	Human resource management system – See Note 3, Appendix,

o	MIF, drawing on C&RMS, FMS and HRMS – See Appendix

o	Knowledge management system, See Note 4, Appendix.

•	The Office will track developments in the Courts service so as to be enabled to respond fully and immediately to the development of the IT systems servicing the courts. A Principal Solicitor has been allocated responsibility to track and to report progress on a bi-monthly basis to MAC.

o	The review of the Office’s website is ongoing and a new site will be constructed by February, 2004.

o	A new Case and Records Management System  is scheduled for full roll out by July 2004.This system will enhance the quantity and quality of management information and facilitate the introduction of a comprehensive costing package in line with MIF requirements.  

o	Considerable progress has been made in implementing an IT Strategy for the period 2001- 2005. The main project is a case and records management system shared between this Office and the Office and the Office of the Attorney General. 

o	Work on the introduction of a Management Information Framework and a new HR Management system has started. The introduction of a Legal Know-how application and intranet is under consideration.  All these projects will be carried out on a shared basis with the Office of the Attorney General.

o	The Office will continue to co-operate with the Courts Service in the development of its IT strategy.  A member of the Office’s IT Unit and a legal staff member currently participate on a group working on the computerisation of the Supreme Court.  The Office has agreed to participate in trial Supreme Court appeals using electronic techniques.

Ongoing & 
June – September, 2004.

October, 2003.

February, 2004

June, 2004

Review December, 2004

Ongoing

	

Y

Y	

	
	
ATYPICAL WORKING 
ARRANGEMENTS

11.
[21.8]
	
The work pattern may be such in specific areas that specific work processes can be performed most effectively by part time staff.
	
Atypical working patterns apply to 26 staff [12%].  The use of part-time staff is kept under review. 

o	Draft policy on providing flexible working hours in a law office will be tested in a litigation section between December 2003 and May 2004. The purpose of the test will be to consider workability within the constraints of litigation time tables.

o	Partnership report on e-working will be re-considered once the main IT developments have been introduced and are working. This matter will be reviewed in January 2005. Options to be reviewed will include the provision of satellite offices around the Greater Dublin Area.

Ongoing

December, 2003 – May 2004

January 2005			

12.
[21.9]
	
Situations may arise where the need to respond to temporary pressures may require the employment of temporary staff or outsourcing of work.  Unions will be notified in advance of initiatives of this kind.	
Contract Staff: Having regard to the staffing and current phase of development of the Office the best assessment is that the principal demand for contract solicitor / legal executive employees will be for locum staff to replace established staff on breaks or extended leave. This policy has been agreed with unions and with Partnership.

A panel of solicitors available for short term employment (locum style) has been put in place.

The Office will create a panel for locum legal executives and will put arrangements in place to provide cover for clerical and administrative staff on extended leave.

Policy on Outsourcing:

The business plans of the Office accept the need for outsourcing of work in the appropriate circumstances and call to ‘develop sustainable policies as regards use of external legal service providers  under management of CSSO and in atypical arrangements’.

Examples of policy in operation:

•	All outdoor ‘clerking’ duties have been outsourced to a private firm and the service is regulated to the satisfaction of the Office by a service level agreement. 

•	External firms of solicitors with particular expertise have been retained by the Office on behalf of the State to act in high profile commercial development of natural resources. This has happened in at least three cases. 

•	The Office has recently undertaken to manage a panel of external solicitors for the Office of Public Works to provide the OPW with expert legal service at competitive costs. (This is over and above the work undertaken by the Office directly for the OPW).

o	Requests for Expressions of Interest have been sought by the Office,

o	An interview process is to commence,

o	A panel of suitable law firms will be selected,

o	The panel will be managed by the CSSO on behalf of the OPW.

September 2003

September 2003

December, 2003.

2001

2002 / 3

Agreed, Summer, 2003

October, 2003

December, 2003

December, 2003

December, 2003 & onwards,

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

	

	
	
ATTENDANCE 
PATTERNS

13.
[21.10]
	
In order to provide a satisfactory level of service to the public, there is a need in certain areas for changes to the standard working day in order to provide services outside the traditional “9 to 5” pattern. The parties are committed to discussions to establish how this can best be achieved, where required. 	
The Office has identified three main areas where out of office hours demands can frequently arise. These are:

•	Extradition / European Arrest Warrants – Satisfactory arrangements are in place but need to be augmented by an ‘on-call’ system calling on a larger number of staff. Negotiations with unions to commence by October 2003. Anticipated that agreement will be in place by end November, 2003.

•	Habeas Corpus / Urgent Judicial Review Applications – satisfactory arrangements are in place.

•	Documentation Centre. There is an occasional demand for late night / week-end working in the Documentation Centre to copy and bind large volumes of paperwork required to support litigation. Frequently for urgent and high profile cases.  This service is now available for late evening work and week-end work.  	

November, 2003

Review November, 2003

October, 2003

	

Y	Outputs will include an agreement with staff interests on an ‘on-call’ arrangement for extradition and European arrest warrant cases. This will enable a flexible service in sensitive areas of work and the delivery of a high priority level of service. 

	
REDEPLOYMENT OF STAFF

14.
[21.11]
	
Redeployment of staff may be necessary on occasion to respond to urgent work demands.	
A policy of re-deployment of staff to meet particularly heavy peaks in work operates informally. However this policy will be more clearly articulated in business plans. Action: Embed in current review of business plans.	
December 2003		
Re-deployment of staff issue has been referred to Human Resources Sub Committee of Partnership for a recommendation by February, 2004.	
	
MANAGEMENT OF 
THE INTRODUCTION 
OF CHANGE AND
NEW DEVELOPMENT

15.
[21.12]	
In accordance with the partnership approach, unions will be informed in advance of all new significant workplace-related initiatives, the reasons for them and the proposed implementation date. 
Notification will be given in advance and in sufficient time to allow discussions with the union(s) concerned to take place. Such discussions will cover the nature of the changes involved, the reasons for them and any impact on staff.  Subject to this, it is accepted that management have the right to implement changes in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement.
	
Unions will continue to be consulted in relation to workplace initiatives.  The Partnership process provides a regular forum for discussion of any proposals in this area.  Additionally, the Partnership Committee has a communications sub-group that has recommended a communications strategy.  This has been implemented. 

Ongoing	
Y		
	
eGOVERNMENT
	
16.
[20.19]

16 a
[22.24]	The parties are committed to the further development of eGovernment on the following basis:
    (i) facilitating better citizen access and interaction with the public service by realising the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs);
	(ii) building collaborative knowledge-based structures focused on serving both citizens and the public service; and 
	(iii) facilitating continuous adaptation and improvement in service delivery by fully utilising ICTs to deliver public services seamlessly and across traditional boundaries. 
     The parties commit to full co-operation with the further development and implementation of eGovernment policy as outlined in ‘New Connections’, the Government’s Action Plan to realise the potential of the Information Society.
	The Office is committed to the development of extranet connection with certain clients. This will be developed after the new Case and Records Management System is up and running.

New web site will feature greater range of content geared to the needs of external stakeholders. The Office is exploring the possibility of providing its legal service in the processing of Lottery grants through its web site. Time frame: to be constructed by February, 2004.

Continue co-operation with Courts service on IT and eCourts. 

Support the Attorney General’s Office as required in the development of e-legislation. Specifically in the interface with case and records management system and by participation on the IT Steering Committee.

The Office will review opportunities to contribute to the furtherance of eGovernment following implementation of current IT plans.
	
      2005

February, 2004

Ongoing

Ongoing

Ongoing			

17.
[20.25]
	
The parties agree to the establishment of a mechanism to verify that all sectors, organisations and grades in the public service deliver outputs in line with the provisions of this Agreement. This mechanism will be established in accordance with Section 26.
	
The Office will co-operate fully with any procedures put in place in accordance with Section 26.	
Ongoing			
18.
[22.10]	Open recruitment will be introduced for appointments above existing entry levels and one-year contracts will be extended to all new recruits to the Civil Service starting on 1 January, 2004.

	The Office will implement guidelines on one-year contracts for new recruits.

The Office has opened discussions with unions.

The Office will be ready to comply with requirements for all new recruits starting on 1st January, 2004.	Dec 2003

October 2003

January 2004	

Y		

19.
[22.11]	
In order to deal with certain skills and expertise shortages the following specific measures have been agreed:
(i)Beginning with IT, HR and financial management areas, open recruitment will be introduced 
(ii)Any need for open recruitment will be identified and communicated to the relevant union/unions with a view to reaching agreement on the matter speedily.
(iii)The trade unions are committed to co-operating with such open recruitment in circumstances where there is a need for it.
(iv)In the event that the parties have difficulties on such issues, a third party adjudication mechanism will be established immediately after ratification of this Agreement. This mechanism will make a final decision on any matter referred to it within a two month period.
(v)There will be a review of these arrangements within 12 months to ensure that significant progress is made.
	
•	The Office has recently appointed a Professional Accountant (on a shared basis with the Attorney General’s Office)  on a two year contract.  A HR manager was recruited by confined interdepartmental competition in July 2002.   

•	The assessment of the Office is that it requires two account technicians to assist in the implementation of the costing of legal service function of FMS/ MIF. It also requires a transfer of 2 administrative staff from Department of Finance to cope with the delegation of payments intended to take place in September, 2004.

•	The Office has identified a skills shortage in the area of commercial contracts practice and in the overlap area of commercial conveyancing. It has developed a position which it has put to the relevant union and to Partnership.
 
•	The Office will negotiate on its position with the union and anticipates an outcome to these negotiations in early January, 2004.

	
October 2004

February 2004

October 2003

January, 2004
	
Y

Y		

20.
[22.11]	
(vi) The Civil Service may recruit in any year a number of staff at the level of Higher Executive Officer, Assistant Principal and Principal Officer (and equivalent grades) equal to the number of staff in those grades who had resigned from the Civil Service in the previous year to take up positions in the private sector or elsewhere in the public sector.
(vii) Where posts, which are normally filled by promotion, are filled under the terms of the above arrangements by open competition, they will be regarded as fulfilling the requirements to fill posts by interdepartmental competitions and will also count towards the fulfillment of quotas of posts to be filled by open recruitment at lower levels where appropriate.
	
The Human Resources Section has been tasked to do a report on the implication of this requirement for the Office. The report will identify the numbers and grades of staff involved. The report is to be ready for MAC in late November.

	
November 2003

 			

21.
[22.14, and 22.15]

	
Discussions will take place so that greater use of competitive, merit-based promotions within Departments will be introduced and progressed over the life of the Agreement.  Progress in this regard must be based on competitive selection methods used in Departments demonstrating best practice in this area. 
Specific measurable progress is to be made within individual Departments on a progressive basis over the life of the Agreement. 
	
As part of an agreement with IMPACT in 2001, competitive promotion was introduced for all professional and technical promotions.   Promotions on the professional and technical sides will continue to be exclusively by competitive interview.

Management favours a position whereby all promotions on the clerical / administrative side are filled by competition. 

•	Negotiations have commenced with the clerical and administrative staff unions to reach agreement whereby the Office can move to a situation whereby 50% of all promotions are filled from the inter departmental panel (itself a competitive process) and the remaining 50% are filled by internal competition.

•	Negotiations have commenced with the appropriate union.

•	The Office anticipates an outcome to these negotiations by early January, 2003. 

October 2003

January 2004

October, 2003

January, 2004	

Y		
22.
[22.16]	In the case of grades that are covered by the Executive Officer dual promotion structure, the following arrangements will apply:
 (i) Discussions will take place with a view to concluding an agreement on extending the proportion of competitive merit-based promotions within  Departments by mid-2004 and their introduction at the first opportunity thereafter;

 (ii) Where competitive promotion systems do not apply in Departments they will be introduced and progressed over the life of the Agreement.	50% of promotion to EO already on a competitive basis.  

•	Discussions with union on extending percentage of competitive promotions have commenced.	

January 2004

23.
[22.17]	
 (ii) The proportion of posts filled under mobility provisions of interdepartmental promotion competitions will be increased from 33.3% to 40% from the beginning of the next competitions to be held under the existing arrangements for interdepartmental promotion schemes. This proportion will be increased to 50% from the date equating to the commencement of the next subsequent competition for promotion to Principal level. 

In this context, provision, will be made where feasible for a scheme of regional interdepartmental competitions outside the Dublin area to be in place as early as possible;

	
•	The Office will ensure that 40% of vacancies, in grades covered by existing arrangements for interdepartmental promotion schemes, are filled from inter departmental panels moving to 50% in line with public policy.

From mid-2003	
Y		

24.
[22.17]	
In the event that problems arise in direct discussions in relation to the manner in which any of the above provisions are to be implemented, the issues involved will be processed with the aid of a facilitator, and if necessary, referred to a third party adjudication in order to assist the parties meet the objectives identified above.
	
The Office will, if necessary, in implementing the above provisions avail of a facilitator or third party adjudication. 

Ongoing	

Y

		
	
TRAINING
	
25.
[20.20]

25a
[22.20]	The parties are committed to continued training and development for all staff

The target spend on training and development in the Civil Service will be 4% of payroll by 2003.	In the Office’s strategy statement particular focus is placed on the need for a “knowledge-based” organisation.  The importance of ensuring that staff have access to continuing training and development opportunities is emphasised.  

•	A specialist training officer was appointed in 2002.

•	Training expenditure in 2002 was 3.2% of payroll.

•	A training needs analysis is near completion and is due for submission to Partnership and MAC in December 2003 and will form the basis for a detailed training and development plan. 

•	Training plan to be brought before MAC in January 2004, before Partnership in February 2004 and adopted by March, 2004.

•	The training plan will provide for full equality training within the Office. This must be evident in the draft plan by December, 2003

•	The Training Unit in conjunction with the HR Section has examined and revised the Induction process in the Office. All new  staff are due to receive Induction Training by the end of December 2003

•	The Training Unit is to produce a  policy on evaluation of Training and the impact of training on the Office for approval by Partnership and MAC  by November 2003

•	Training Officers in AGO and CSSO have agreed arrangements for  joint training where appropriate so as to achieve maximum value for money

•	With the Introduction of the new ECHR with effect from November 2003, this Office in conjunction with the AGO has initiated a series of lectures so that staff are prepared for this new initiative and are equipped with the necessary skills to serve the requirements of our clients.

•	Workshops on specific topics affected by ECHR have commences

•	The Office has arranged placement of members of its staff involved in European litigation with the European Court of Justice to obtain exposure to the working of that Court and to learn from the experience. One solicitor has been sent out to Luxembourg for a three week period. A second solicitor is going out in December / January.

•	Initiatives outlined in the Knowledge Management Strategy 2003-2005 which promote team working and knowledge sharing across different office functions will be implemented.  These include the establishment of Legal Issues meetings, information sharing meetings for Executive and Staff Officers, the further development of section/team/Division meetings, and the promotion of communities of practice.

•	A number of members of staff have been awarded the Law Society’s Diploma in European Law and diplomas in human rights law from UCD. Members of staff have been awarded master’s degrees in human rights law and in public management and several more are studying with the assistance of the Office. A member of Conveyancing staff has recently obtained a Diploma in Arbitration from UCD.

Staff Training Schemes:

•	The existing scheme for the training of legal executives as solicitors will be continued. The scheme will be reviewed by MAC in September, 2004 to monitor the performance and VFM of the scheme.

•	The existing scheme for the training of clerical staff as legal executives will be continued. The scheme will be reviewed by MAC in September, 2004 to monitor the performance and VFM of the scheme.

2002

2002 / 3

 December 2003

January, 2004

March 2004

Summer, 2003

November, 2003

September 2004

Spring 2003

September / October, 2003

Spring to Winter 2003/

September, 2003

2002 / 03

2003

Spring / Summer, 2003	

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y		
	
PARTNERSHIP

26.
[22.23]

27.
[20.9]	
The recommendations of the Review of Partnership in the Civil Service will be considered by a Sub-
Group of General Council which will present proposals for the development of partnership to General Council.

The parties are committed to building upon the structures that have been established, and to further embedding and refining the process across the public service, in order to deliver real improvements in performance at organizational level, involve staff in the change and modernization process and improve the working environment.

	
Partnership to meet at least once a month and to maintain a sub committee structure to deal with key Office management and change issues.

•	Partnership has held ten meetings in 2003

•	Maintains the following sub committees

o	Flexi / E-working,
o	Accommodation
o	IT Policy,
o	Business Planning,
o	MIF
o	HR Committee.

Partnership has had substantial input into development of key policies during the year. Particularly as regards the review of PMDS and the development of HR policies for inclusion in the proposed HR plan. Activities are trackable from the agenda, the minutes and the papers prepared. 	
On-going

	
Y

		
	
EQUALITY

28.
[22.25]	
The parties agree to continue to work to promote equality of opportunity for all Civil Service staff in accordance with these policies. 	
The Office promotes existing Diversity and Gender Equality Policies

•	The Office has already achieved the Government  target of 33% of AP posts filled by women  -  59% of AP level posts in the Office are filled by women.

•	 There is some evidence that in the clerical / administrative grades female staff are disproportionately in the lower grades. (The evidence isn’t definitive). Partnership is anxious for a levelling and the Office agrees that this should be addressed positively through the negotiations with clerical staff on competitions.

•	Gender balance issues for solicitors have been the subject of a study within the Office and will remain on the management agenda. Gender balance issues are to be reviewed annually.

•	The requirement for gender representation on interview boards is embedded and will continue.

•	This Office will introduce a 1 day programme for senior management and Managers of staff so as to increase Management awareness of the issues relating to Equality and Diversity.

Ongoing

January, 2004

Ongoing

2000 and ongoing

February 2005

Y

Y

Y		

28a
[22.27]

28b
[20.21]	
The Department of Finance is currently drawing up proposals with a view to developing action plans to ensure that the Government’s policy, of a 3% employment target for people with a disability, is implemented as effectively as possible. Particular consideration will be given to improving monitoring arrangements.

The public service will continue to build on the significant progress which has been made in regard to policies on equality and diversity in order to promote equal opportunity in all aspects of civil and public service employment.

	
Disability Issues: The Office is short of the 3% target but the number of recruits with disabilities has increased over the past two years. The Office is willing to increase its number of staff with disabilities. The Office will overtake a study of its employment of staff with disabilities. This study will commence in September 2004 and will finish in February, 2005.

•	The Office’s commitment to the principles of equality is set out in the Customer Action Plan.  In the course of refurbishing our main Office building, facilities for wheelchair users were installed. 

•	Training on equality issues will be provided for all staff

•	The Office has provided disability awareness seminars for staff and these have been well attended.	

June 2005

Ongoing

Ongoing

2003

Y

Y

Y		

Appendix 1.

(Explanatory Notes on IT Related Commitments).

	

The current tranche of major change in the Chief State Solicitor’s Office is the change associated with the implementation of its IT strategy and its Knowledge Management strategy. These two strategies are shared with the Office of the Attorney General and the development of systems is a joint exercise with the AGO. The strategies are founded in the Statement of Strategy for the Offices and have the active support of both MAC and Partnership in each of the Offices.

The proposed investment in IT for the law offices will entail fundamentally changed working method for all legal and administrative staff for communications between the CSSO and the AGO and between the legal offices and its stakeholders. It will also enable the Offices to ready for the challenges of eCourt as these emerge. 

The systems will also be configured to satisfy the Offices’ requirement for management information (both financial and non financial indicators). These indicators are currently being addressed across the AGO / CSSO as part of the development of the case and records management system and the FMS. Indicators of human resource type performance will be developed in connection with the HRMS.

These notes are offered to provide some background understanding to the essential elements of the IT and KM projects in hand.

1. Case & Records Management System:

A modern records management system will facilitate a more effective handling, storage and recall of file information and will facilitate fuller compliance with statutory archives duties. The system under development has been devised following consideration of a specialist consultancy report (Eneclann) and the study of the record management needs of the law offices. 

The proposed records management system will cover both manual and electronic files and will facilitate the policy for both offices of moving to the primacy of the electronic file (as opposed to the paper files) over a period of five years. (Policy in this regard will take full cognisance of the rules of evidence and the requirements of the courts).

 The detailed specification of performance indicators will follow upon the appointment of a records officer who will be a person with modern archive training.

Case management systems are an essential tool of modern law practice and will bring best practice in case management to the CSSO.  Performance indicators will include:

1.	Immediate access on screen to all file information and documentation, including across the boundaries between Attorney General’s Office and CSSO.

2.	Ability to view information according to parameters such as client, work type, counsel, case load.

3.	Information at higher management levels as to work types, work distribution and allocation of staff.

4.	Information at MAC level as to changes in service demands on the office, needs and opportunities for more effective deployment of staff, legal service cost, pin-pointing of training needs and opportunities. Overall, a tool to secure more effective alignment between resources of the Office and legal service needs of customers. Also a tool to drive down the costs of handling file information.

5.	The ability to share data on a real time basis between the Chief State Solicitors’ Office and the Office of the Attorney General.

6.	Potential to support an extranet in line with customer service objectives to clients such as OPW and State Claims Agency.

Recent progress in developing the case and records strategies include:

A.	Training of key implementation staff in project management skills and the appointment of two senior legal staff (at Advisory Counsel and Deputy Assistant Chief State Solicitor level) to lead the implementation of the projects,

B.	Preparation of a statement of the requirements of the Offices for record needs and for case management needs. This exercise was supported by an external consultancy and by the extensive use of staff panels within both offices,

C.	Development and issue of a Request for Tender for a contract to develop a system to the specifications of the Offices,

D.	The appointment of a group of contractors lead by Hewlett Packard,

E.	The commencement of the process of analysing current and proposed new workflows within the Office,

F.	Workshop to identify the electronic scanning issues and requirement of the Offices,

G.	The commencement of the review of precedent legal documentation within both Office for association with the workflows.

2.  Financial Management System.

A new financial management system will be developed and in place by September 2004 in conjunction with the AGO. The principal driver for this is the objective to modernise to respond to the demands of MIF and to identify and manage legal service costs. The decision of  the Department of Finance to delegate the non-payroll payments functions to the Office (by September, 2004)  is also a significant driver. 

Outputs of the system will also include accuracy and timely delivery of financial management information. Performance indicators will revolve around the use of financial management information in decision making at management level within the Office.

Outputs will also include the presentation of financial management information relating to the cost of the provision of legal services – both direct and disbursements. Legal service costs information should be viewable by file, case type, by organisational unit, client, activity, etc. Performance indicators are being prepared as part of the project and will include indicators of costs in legal activities.

Recent progress in developing the financial management strategy include:

A.	Recruitment of a professional accountant tasked to identify requirements,

B.	Preparation of a statement of the requirements of the Offices for financial management needs. 

C.	Development and issue of a Request for Tender for a contract to develop a FMS system to the specifications of the Offices,

D.	The evaluation of the tenders (currently on-going) with a review to bringing a recommendation before the IT Steering Committee by early November,

E.	The review of methodology options for reporting legal service costs having regards to different organisational and working methods across both offices. (Review continuing).

3. Knowledge Management:

The adoption of the Knowledge Management Strategy 2003- 2005 represents significant change for the Chief State Solicitor’s Office.  Articulated for the first time in a policy document, the Knowledge Management Strategy provides a framework for identifying, capturing, delivering and re-using AGO/CSSO knowledge and information to enable greater work efficiency and enhance the delivery of high quality legal services.  The production of the Strategy document delivers on commitments to improve customer service (Customer Action Plan).  It is a planned approach to the sharing of knowledge and internal expertise and as such addresses the issue of more effective use of resources.  The non-IT / technical elements of the strategy will be implemented by 2004. IT based initiatives will be implemented after the new case and records management system is introduced.

KM Recommendation 15: The KM Strategy recommendation that a joint Legal Bulletin for the AGO/CSSO should be introduced was implemented by the Library & Know-how Units in AGO/CSSO during August/September (supports knowledge management and demonstrates team working, cross-departmental working and the more efficient use of library / know-how staff resources).

KM Recommendation 8 - Information-sharing meetings for Executive/Staff Officers in the CSSO.  The purpose of these meetings is to provide for the informal exchange of information and ideas between Executive/Staff Officers who have recently assumed new roles in relation to the supervision of section/division support services in the CSSO.  These meetings have commenced.  (supports knowledge management and team-working, cross functionality and assists with the management of change and new developments)

Recommendation 10 - Improved dissemination of information on seminars and external conferences:  The purpose of this recommendation is to increase the return on investment in training.  To support this recommendation, details of conferences attended are included in the Legal Bulletin.  The publication of such information requires joint co-operation between legal staff, Training Unit and the Library & Know-how Unit.

Recommendation 11 - Incorporation of knowledge management in AGO/CSSO induction and training programmes:  The CSSO Library & Know-how Unit now includes a short introduction to “knowledge management” in induction presentations to new staff and during library orientation programmes.

Recommendation 18 - Introduction of Legal Issues Meetings at the CSSO:  Legal Issues Meetings (similar to those held in the AGO) will provide a forum for the exchange of legal knowledge and information between CSSO staff.

Recommendation 20 - Implementation of Internet access for legal and technical staff in the CSSO: This recommendation has been implemented.

A pre-requisite to the successful implementation of many of the initiatives in the KM strategy is the recruitment of a Know-how Officer.  A job specification profile was prepared by the Law Librarian in September and is currently been considered by Human Resources.  

4. Web Site Development:

The Website Development Committee, comprising IT, Library and Legal staff, presented their report to MAC on Wednesday, 22nd October, 2003. This report was accompanied by a demonstration version of the new site. 

It is proposed to re-vamp the CSSO page on the AGO site by end November to include more stakeholder focussed content such as information on service of documents on the Office, contract recruitment opportunities, etc. A completely new web site (or set of pages on existing AGO site) will be available by February 2004 reflecting the new design logo of the Office and an extended range of content.  

Performance indicators for the web site revolve around the range, value and relevance of contents of the site. Output should be measured in terms of value to the stakeholder. Detailed indicators will be developed by the development team in due course. The team will also write up the responsibilities for the webmaster.

Stakeholders should include client departments, job applicants, counsel, opposing solicitors, etc

5.   Human Resource Management Information:

The IT strategy extends to a human resource management system. A Request for Tender has been drafted and will be brought to CSSO MAC in November 2003 and to IT Steering Committee in December for consideration of timescales. Issues to be considered include the current CMOD position and best deployment of IT project management resources having regard to existing commitments.