The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has said that he will bring a memorandum on the proposed Comprehensive Spending Review to Cabinet within weeks.
Brendan Howlin said he has already commenced work on drafting the Comprehensive Spending Review, which would take a fresh look at how services are delivered.
Mr Howlin said that the reform agenda for the public service was crucial to economic recovery, adding that the status quo was not acceptable.
The Minister said he respects and values public servants who were feeling 'bruised and battered'.
However, he said that practices had developed over time that were not defendable and they would have to have a discussion about that.
He said that the people want reform and he was not interested in the old way of doing things.
However, the Minister said he would have to consult his Cabinet colleagues before he could reveal further details of future reform plans.
Asked for his view on outsourcing services to the private sector, Mr Howlin said the review would look at how services could best be delivered on a case-by-case basis.
Mr Howlin said the overriding reality was that Ireland could not continue to borrow and spend at the same rate.
He reiterated the Government's determination to stick to the target of reducing the deficit to 3% by 2015, but acknowledged that would be a very demanding target to achieve.
He said that his plans would fit in well with the Croke Park Agreement, which he described as extremely valuable and successful in what it had achieved to date in terms of reductions in numbers and industrial peace.
