This Forum briefing will discuss the benefits and the challenge of meeting good governance obligations and expectations in a period of radical public service reform. Organisations have to balance reduced publicly funded budgets with the requirement to ensure that the public receive high quality services. The issues to be addressed will include:
• The government programme for the rationalisation of agencies
• The criteria to consider in delivering services through departments or other bodies
• How to strengthen the focus on outputs and outcomes
• The value of external assessments of organisations
• Findings and assessments by the Comptroller and Auditor General
• Governance and audit implications of the reform programme
The presentations will be from:

· Don Thornhill, Chairman National Competitiveness Council

· Andy Harkness, Director of Audit at the Office of C&AG

· David Feeney, Reform and Delivery Office of Dept PER