Minister Donohoe announces the winners of the 2018 Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Awards

23rd November, 2018

 

The Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD, announced the winners of the 2018 Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Awards yesterday (Thursday, 22nd November). The Awards are held annually and were established under the Civil Service Renewal Programme to recognise the achievements of civil servants and showcase examples of best practice and innovation in Government Departments and Offices.

The Awards ceremony was held in last night in St. Patrick’s Hall, Dublin Castle, and was attended by the shortlisted project teams from across the Civil Service, those involved in the Awards process and senior civil servants. Speaking at the event, Minister Donohoe congratulated all of the staff who participated: ‘Tonight is a very special night for the Civil Service and I congratulate all of the staff who submitted applications for the Awards, those who worked on the shortlisted projects and those of you who are connected to the award-winning initiatives. These projects highlight the best practice that we see every day in our workplaces. The passion and commitment of staff to deliver on their objectives is a common thread that shines through all of the projects that have been shortlisted.’

Reflecting on the challenges facing the Civil Service for delivering in the future, the Minister also said: “The work of the Civil Service is complex and diverse and the Awards speak to that reality. As we face many future challenges, the Civil Service has to be able to respond and continue to play its part in meeting those challenges. It is a core strength of Ireland’s capacity to develop and prosper.”

The Minister was joined by the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Robert Watt, who remarked: ‘The standard of projects this year was particularly high and reflects very well on the staff of the Civil Service. It shows the commitment, energy and innovation that civil servants are bringing to their roles. The changes we are making under the Civil Service Reform Programme are helping to improve our capacity to be more effective and the award-winning projects are testament to the way in which civil servants are engaging with them’.

The winners are:

• Leading Civil Service Renewal
DCCAE Employee Engagement Programme – Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

• Digital Excellence
Redesign of the Revenue Website – Office of the Revenue Commissioners

• Research, Analytics and Insight
The Great Irish Famine Online – Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

• Excellence in Policy
The National Planning Framework – Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government

• Excellence in Customer Service
My Open Library – Department of Rural and Community Development

• Excellence in Innovation
Leading Europe in the interpretation of complex DNA evidence – Forensic Science Ireland

• Excellence in People, Skills and Organisational Development
Joint-Agency Response to Crime (J-ARC) – Department of Justice and Equality

• Excellence through Collaboration
Access to Chinese Market for Irish Beef – Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
First Direct Air Routes Ireland – Beijing and Hong Kong – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

• Citizen Impact
Access Inclusion Model for Preschool Children – Department of Children and Youth Affairs

• World Class Civil Service
The Citizens’ Assembly – Department of the Taoiseach

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

The Awards were established under the Civil Service Renewal Plan. More information on the Plan is available here. This year, 70 nominations were received from across the Civil Service and 30 projects were shortlisted. There were 11 award-winning projects. More information about the Awards and the shortlisted nominations can be found here.