Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to appoint a task force to examine how the public service can be overhauled.
Mr Cowen said he would make the announcement next week and that the group would produce an action plan for Government before the summer.
Speaking at the Impact conference in Kilkenny this afternoon, Mr Cowen said he was “determined to take decisive action" to improve the State's public services.
Impact is the State's largest public sector union, representing 55,000 members in health, local government, education, the civil service, and voluntary and community organisations.
“I want the Irish public service to be an exemplar of success; fit for purpose, performance–focused, connected, and citizen-centred,” he told delegates.
He said the message from the recent OECD report on the public sector was clear, that the public needed to be put at the centre of the service. He said the report “correctly categorises our public service reform as overly focused on process and on procedures, as inward facing, without sufficiently demonstrating that it is driven by the complex and diverse needs of citizens, or focused on making a difference to the quality of their lives.”
“I know that you share this view of the challenges we face on modernising our public service. We need to address these challenges, and address them together.
“The public service can and should do better. Change is needed, and awaited. There are a number of initiatives in place which are already addressing many of the challenges identified by the OECD.”
The report, published in April, recommends improved governance and performance dialogue to address disconnects between the central Civil Service and broader public service. It says a mobility policy is needed to facilitate movement of generalist staff across different sectors of the public service.
The Taoiseach said he intended to pursue a “comprehensive programme of renewal”.
He said the terms of reference for the task force would be prepared for consideration by the Government and would takes into account the analysis and conclusions of the OECD Report – Towards an Integrated Public Service.
Earlier in his address, Mr Cowen said the current social partnership talks ranked “among the most challenging we have faced”.
Mr Cowen said he believed that public servants were entitled to a “fair reward for their talents, skills, efforts and outputs” and that this should be determined by appropriate trends in the wider labour market.
“The public service should not lead or shape wider pay determination,” he added.
“I believe that comparable levels of reward should be based on comparable conditions of employment and performance, taking account in particular of productivity and innovation.”
