2.1 The decisions made by the Office are of great importance and can have the most far-reaching consequences for an individual. It is therefore essential that our work is carried out to the highest professional standards and that we have in place the necessary resources, structures, processes and systems. We must also ensure that these supports are developed in line with principles of best practice employed across the public service.
2.2 Our three year Strategy Statement 2004 - 2006 identified the key objectives that the Office must achieve in order to deliver a high level prosecution service. This chapter outlines the progress made during 2005.
2.3 The Office is conscious of the power vested in it on behalf of the People of Ireland and recognises that this places a responsibility on it to ensure that it has appropriate control and governance procedures in place. The Office also recognises that there is an onus on it to provide as much information as possible to the public with regard to how it discharges its functions. In this regard Annual Reports, Strategy Statements and Guidelines for Prosecutors have been published and made available on its website.
2.4 However, the Office recognises that those who make assessments with regard to its performance weigh the information they receive, either consciously or unconsciously, against how reliable they believe it to be. For this reason the Office places great importance on having its control and governance practices independently monitored by its Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has external members from outside the public service, one of whom serves as Chairman.
2.5 The Audit Committee's Charter sets out that the role of the committee is to systematically review the control environment and governance procedures in the Office and provide reports and advice to top management.
2.6 During the year Audit Reports on General Procurement; Procurement of Barristers' Services and Computer Controls were completed under the direction of the Audit Committee. The Committee also considered progress reports on the implementation of recommendations from previous audits.
2.7 The Office continued in 2005 to build on work commenced in 2004 in identifying key risks facing it and developing strategies to deal with these. The Audit Committee reviewed progress on the Business Risk Management Process at their March and June meetings and indicated that it was satisfied with the process.
2.8 Our Office operates in a constantly changing legal environment. It is essential therefore that we keep abreast of national and international legal developments and ensure that our staff have the necessary knowledge to meet the continuing demands of increasingly complex and new areas of criminal law. It is also important that we work closely and consult with other agencies involved in the criminal justice system.
2.9 The continued development during 2005 of our Library Management Services ensured the availability of timely, relevant and up-to-date legal information through both the Digital Media Archive and iLink systems. Desktop access to court judgements, Garda circulars, legal research papers and counsels' opinions in electronic format has proved to be a valuable and easily accessible resource for our legal staff.
2.10 Attendance at national and international conferences on legal topics is a key focus of our Training and Development Plan. In 2005 36% of our legal staff attended such conferences, which continue to be a source of vital information in the ever-changing legal environment within which we operate. Training needs identified through the Performance Management & Development System have also been met through participation in external continuing legal education programmes and in-house training sessions on specialist areas of criminal law. A Legal Training Steering Group was established in 2005 to oversee the development and implementation of a legal training programme for both new and established legal staff.
2.11 Our participation in the provision of training to the Garda Síochána was also a priority for us during the year. Members of staff from the Office participated in training sessions for members of the Garda Síochána at Sergeant, Inspector and Superintendent level. Our programme of Regional Training Seminars continued in 2005 and provided an excellent forum for liaison between the Office and senior members of the Garda Síochána who prosecute summary cases on our behalf in District Courts nationwide.
2.12 In January 2005 we hosted the Annual State Solicitors' Seminar. This annual event provides an opportunity for the Office to meet with members of the State Solicitor Service and to discuss legal issues of mutual interest. One of the topics for discussion this year was Breath Test Prosecutions under Section 49 of the Road Traffic Act.
2.13 In May 2005 we organised the 6th Annual National Prosecutors' Conference which was attended by approximately 200 delegates. In attendance were prosecutors from the Office, members of the Bar, the State Solicitor Service, the Garda Síochána, the judiciary, and specialised investigating agencies. Presentations were given on the Scottish DNA Database; The Impact of Human Rights Act, 2003 on Criminal Law; Historic Sexual Abuse Cases: The Defence Experience; and Recent Developments in Sentencing Law. The annual conference has proved to be an extremely successful initiative and it enables the Office to take a lead role in raising issues of concern within the criminal justice system and seeking solutions to them through discussion and consultation.
2.14 On an international level we co-hosted the Heads of Prosecuting Agencies Conference (HOPAC) in association with the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland. The conference is a biennial conference for Heads of Prosecuting Agencies from certain common law countries at which matters of mutual interest are discussed in a frank and open manner. The conference opened in Belfast and then continued in Dublin. This was the first occasion on which the two prosecution services engaged in a project of this nature and in doing so we built on the solid working relationship that has been established over the years. The conference was a tremendous success both in terms of sharing of views in relation to criminal law issues on an international level and also in terms of co-operation between the Office and our colleagues in Northern Ireland.
2.15 While working independently of each other it is crucial that the various agencies involved in the criminal justice system consult on and discuss cross-functional issues. The involvement of the Office in inter-agency working groups and committees has contributed to the delivery of an effective prosecution service. During 2005 we participated in and contributed to various inter-agency groups including the Criminal Justice Inter-operability Group; the Supreme Court Computerisation Group; the District Court Efficiency Committee; the Criminal Court Users Group; the Courts Service Customer Forum; the Garda Liaison Group; and the Criminal Justice Liaison Committee. On an international level we continued to contribute to and participate in the work of international bodies and organisations including EUROJUST; GRECO; OLAF; Eurojustice; the International Association of Prosecutors; HOPAC and the International Bar Association.
2.16 The efficient use of resources is a key focus for the Office. During the year the Office continued to develop systems to provide managers with the information necessary to manage work and to ensure that our resources are allocated and utilised as efficiently as possible.
2.17 The most significant development during 2005 was the award of a contract for the development of a new Case, Document Management and File Tracking (CDMFT) system. Following a tender process, contracts were signed in December 2005 with Axxia Systems Limited, a company based in the United Kingdom that has a proven track history in the provision of case management systems to the legal profession.
2.18 The CDMFT system will act as a single point of access for all of our legal cases and will provide an integrated system for management of prosecution files across the organisation. All outgoing case-related correspondence will be generated on the system and stored there for future reference. The system will also have a digital dictation facility.
2.19 The first stage in the development of the CDMFT is planned to commence in January 2006. This will entail a comprehensive analysis of our business needs and will involve meetings with staff in all sections. The analysis phase is due to be completed by November 2006 and will be followed by system design, system testing and user acceptance testing. The system will be phased in over a six month period, with the first phase planned to go-live in July 2007.
2.20 The accounting system installed in 2004 continued to provide an improved service and greater efficiencies. The system underwent a significant upgrade from Integra 2 to Integra 3 in November 2005. This represents a major revision of the software and should improve the robustness and functionality of the system.
2.21 Under section 44 of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004, the Office was granted a general Recruitment Licence in July 2005. The licence has enabled the Office to target particular groups of potential employees and has also facilitated the running of recruitment campaigns as the need arises. This has greatly enhanced our ability to fill positions in a more timely fashion. Since the licence was granted the Office has conducted three open competitions to recruit appointees to temporary positions at Prosecution Solicitor, Legal Researcher and Legal Executive levels.
2.22 Quality service has always been a core value of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. In 2004, in consultation with our stakeholders, we developed a Quality Service Charter and Action Plan which outlines the standards of service that can be expected from the Office. The delivery of those standards is, for the most part, evidenced in the prosecution file statistics which are set out in Chapter 7 of this report and which represent the core work of the Office.
2.23 The co-ordination of liaison with victims of crime, the families of victims of crime and victim support groups was a key focus for the Office during the year. We are fully committed to working with the Garda Síochána to ensure that victims and the families of deceased victims are kept informed of progress in cases in which they are involved. We also continue to liaise with the Garda Síochána to ensure that victims are offered a pre-trial meeting at which the prosecution team have an opportunity to explain the court process.
2.24 The Office has emphasised the necessity for support to be provided to victims, particularly in court. Courts can be an extremely stressful environment for victims and their families. To this end we have made a number of submissions to the Commission for the Support of Victims since its establishment in March 2005 and have also made submissions in various fora regarding the facilities and arrangements for victims in court. We have also made submissions in relation to the giving of evidence by victims.
2.25 Members of staff from the Office met with a number of victim support groups including ADVIC, Support after Homicide and the Crime Victims Helpline. These meetings proved to be extremely beneficial and served to explain how the prosecution system operates and the standards of service that victims of crime can expect from the Office.
2.26 In order to foster a better understanding of the work of the Office we have continued to provide information through the distribution of Office publications such as Annual Reports, Guidelines for Prosecutors and Information Booklets. Our website has also provided us with the means to disseminate information to a wide audience in an easily accessible and timely manner. In developing the website during the year particular emphasis was placed on ensuring that it is fully compliant with accessibility guidelines.
2.27 During 2005 in excess of 50,000 visitors accessed our website which represents a 50% increase on the previous year. In the interests of diversity, copies of Information Booklets on 'The Role of the DPP' and 'Attending Court as a Witness' were also made available on our website in Chinese and Russian.
2.28 In fulfilment of our obligations under section 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003, the Office published an Irish Language Scheme which was approved by the Minister for Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs in July 2005 and which is now available on our Office website. The Scheme details the services that the Office will provide through the Irish Language. During 2005 we continued to maintain our website bilingually and all publications issued by the Office are produced in both Irish and English. The Irish language is promoted internally through the provision of a dedicated Irish section on our intranet and through staff participation in Irish language schemes and courses. Correspondence received in the Irish language was replied to in Irish and three judicial review cases were conducted through Irish during the year.
2.29 The Office recognises all our staff as internal stakeholders and commits itself to providing a supportive working environment for them. A number of initiatives were undertaken in 2005 in response to this commitment.
2.30 The Performance Management Development System is now an integral part of our management framework. We further developed the system during 2005 in preparation for the introduction of Upward Feedback. All staff completed an Upward Feedback Training Programme and the scheme will commence operation in January 2006.
2.31 A review of our Induction Training Programme was carried out during the year as a result of which procedures were revised and a new approach is now operational. A total of 18 staff availed of Induction Modules I and II in 2005.
2.32 A total of 3.52% of payroll costs was invested in staff training and development in 2005 - amounting to €335,235.22 in total. This expenditure included €102,331.59 on seminars, conferences and training courses; €35,708 on refund of educational fees; and €19,975 on external trainers.
2.33 Under our Staff Care Training Programme a number of Stress Management Sessions were provided to staff during the year. As a result of a survey carried out by our Partnership Committee in 2004 stress management was recognised as an area warranting attention, with particular focus on potential stress relating to the nature of the work of the Office.
2.34 The Partnership process facilitated a number of initiatives during the year which have benefited the Office as a whole. A sub-group of the committee carried out a survey on internal communications and in March 2005 submitted a report outlining recommendations for improvement in internal communications. The report was adopted and a number of the recommendations have now been implemented while others will be introduced on an incremental basis. The Merit Award and Long Service Award Schemes were once again co-ordinated through the partnership committee. A total of 75 staff received individual or group awards which were presented in December 2005. An Office Clean initiative was implemented by the Health & Safety sub-group of the Partnership Committee. The initiative, which encouraged staff to dispose of unneeded paper or equipment, took place between June and September 2005. It proved to be extremely successful in achieving a healthier and cleaner working environment for staff.