Costs and efficiency

Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP)

Leo O’Reilly – Telephone 028 9127 7601 (Internal 69001)

This cross cutting theme is distinctly different from the other 11 themes identified by the RPA steering Group in that it is purely a data capture exercise.

Its primary objective is for departments to identify, monitor and report the level of forecast costs and efficiencies arising directly from the Review of Public Administration (RPA).  Departments will be asked to provide periodic updates to Central Finance Group, on the cost implications and associated savings of implementing the RPA.

Departments have provided some initial high level costs and savings associated with the implementation and roll out of the RPA.  The costs and savings report, produced by Deloitte, will initially be used to identify the level of efficiencies to be achieved.  These will be refined by departments as the RPA progresses.

Forecast costs and savings will be collected from departments and scrutinised centrally by Central Finance Group to ensure the data provided is robust and accurate at the time of collection.  The quality of data collected will be expected to improve as the RPA progresses and greater certainty crystallises.  A process to periodically collect, monitor and report the costs and savings associated with the RPA is currently being developed - it is envisaged that this process should be in place by the end of September.

This document sets out a summary of the findings of the work carried out by Deloitte MCS Ltd (Deloitte) to assist the Review of Public Administration (RPA) team within the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to estimate the efficiency savings and costs of implementing the RPA proposals.

The report estimates the efficiency savings to be gained from the implementation of the RPA proposals, to identify the steps necessary to achieve implementation and to estimate the costs associated with these, particularly around the options and proposals for local government, Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) and education as set out in the March 2005 RPA 'Further Consultation' document.