JOINT CONFERENCE
Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies
and the
Chief Executives’ Forum
in partnership with the
Ulster Bank Group
25–26 March 2010
Armagh City Hotel
2010 Joint Conference
‘THE ROAD TO RECOVERY – TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SERVICES’
PROGRAMME
T
Thursday, 25 March:
he financial crisis and the ensuing world-wide recession form the backdrop to this north-south
overnight conference. The crises have exacted heavy tolls on the economies of both north and south.
While financial institutions and governments everywhere wrestle with underlying trends and shifting
balances within the global economy, the very notion of a speedy return to the way things were rings
hollow. The recovery is likely to be slow and a demanding journey is in prospect.
As the UK and Irish economies have been shrinking, government borrowing has been surging. Both
economies are by no means yet out of the woods. Tackling budget deficits is now an urgent priority for
governments north and south, east and west. With, for different reasons, limited scope for tax increases
north or south of the border, the Irish Government is looking to the expenditure side for the greater
part of its fiscal consolidation effort, while the Northern Ireland Executive and the other UK devolved
administrations will be expected to assume their shares of the fiscal burden determined at Westminster.
The scene being set, spending on public services needs to be cut on both sides of the border. The
question which then arises is: On top of what has already been announced and without damaging
services, can enough money be found through further efficiencies? If in the short run the immediate
demand is for further efficiency savings, as seems inevitable, what more needs to happen in the
medium to longer term? Politicians will need to rethink the size and reach of the state, the scope of its
interventions and inevitably the affordability of the wide range of services it provides. The question then
for public sector leaders—for both politicians and professional managers—is one of how to transform
public services: How can we protect and improve services by getting more from a parlous public purse?
To help leaders drawn together by the Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies (ACESA) in the
Republic of Ireland and the Chief Executives’ Forum in Northern Ireland explore some of the issues will
be:
•
Seán Dorgan, Chairman of the Ulster Bank Group
•
Brendan Keenan, Economics Editor, Irish Independent
•
Henry Patterson, Professor of Politics, University of Ulster
•
Bruce Robinson, Permanent Secretary and Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service,
Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
•
Dermot McCarthy, Secretary General to the Government of Ireland and
Secretary General to the Department of the Taoiseach
•
Dr Don Thornhill, Consultant and Adviser on Strategy and Policy
•
Paul Wickens, Director, Northern Ireland Civil Service Shared Service Organisation
5.00 – 6.00pm Conference Registration
6.15 – 7.30pm Reception
Chairs’ Welcome Address: John Hunter CB, and Maurice Buckley, respectively the
chairs of the Chief Executives’ Forum, the Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies
(ACESA)
7.00 – 8.00pm ‘The Road to Recovery – Lessons Learned ’
•
•
•
Discussion: The public sector in the wider economy
8.00pm Dinner
Seán Dorgan, Chairman, Ulster Bank Group
Brendan Keenan, Economics Editor, Irish Independent
Henry Patterson, Professor of Politics, University of Ulster
Friday, 26 March:
9.15 – 10.45am ‘Transforming Public Services – The Need for Change ’
Chair: John Hunter CB, Chief Executives’ Forum
•
•
Bruce Robinson, Permanent Secretary and Head of the Northern Ireland Civil
Service, Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Dermot McCarthy, Secretary General to the Government of Ireland and Secretary
General to the Department of the Taoiseach
Discussion: Issues that need to be addressed
10.45 –11.30am Break
11.30 – 12.45pm ‘Transforming Public Services – Making Changes’
Chair: Maurice Buckley, ACESA Chair and Chief Executive National Standards Authority of
Ireland
•
•
‘Leadership in Challenging Times’ – Dr Don Thornhill, Consultant and Adviser on
Strategy and Policy
‘Sharing Services’ – Paul Wickens, Director, Northern Ireland Civil Service Shared
Service Organisation
Discussion: Challenges for CEOs and their management teams
12.45 – 1.15pm The road ahead and learning from each other
Chairs: Maurice Buckley and John Hunter CB
Discussion: With possible follow-up actions in mind, how developments and experiences
can be better shared between jurisdictions
…followed by the close of the conference and lunch
Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies
and the
Chief Executives’ Forum
in partnership with the
Ulster Bank Group