Report on public service sets out agenda for reform

New ways of working are needed in the Irish public service in order to meet increased public expectations at a time of reduced resources, according to a special review of the public service by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The report suggests that the government must maximise the public service by adopting a citizen-centred approach and increasing the chances for workers’ mobility, managerial delegation, as well as better budget control.

A long-awaited report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED) on the public service, entitled ‘Towards an integrated public service’, suggests that employment levels and expenditure on public services in Ireland are not high by international standards. However, the report recommends that the public service needs to move away from what is described as a ‘central control’ concept.

Main outcomes of report

While the review, launched on 28 April 2008, states that Ireland’s public service has given the economy a competitive advantage, it suggests that the government must make better use of the service by allowing for greater mobility of public servants, increasing managerial delegation and ensuring greater accountability for performance and overall budget limits.

Senior public service proposed

The OECD proposes that a ‘senior public service’ should be established to create an integrated new leadership cadre. This idea was favourably received by both the former Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach), Bertie Ahern, and his successor as of 7 May 2008, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen; Mr Ahern resigned from his role as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008 and Mr Cowen was elected to the position the following day. However, public sector trade union leaders have viewed this particular proposal with some scepticism.

Future of state agencies

One immediate impact of the report may be the question it poses for the future of state agencies. The OECD estimates that the number of state agencies in Ireland has more than doubled since the 1990s. One of the problems encountered by the OCED, however, is that it was unable to calculate precisely how many agencies actually exist and how many people are employed by them.

No official Irish statistics are available for staff numbers in agencies in Ireland either today or 10 or 20 years ago ... it is unclear how much public funding they use for their own functioning, for further distribution or for investment. Neither is it known exactly how many staff they employ.

At the launch of the report, Mr Cowen emphasised that he would make up his own mind on what to do about the report when he took over as Taoiseach, but he did not rule out closing or merging some of these agencies. Mr Ahern estimated that about 800 state agencies exist, but considered that this was ‘too many by half’.

Citizen-centred approach needed

In his former role as Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen agreed with the OECD that there is a ‘compelling need’ to adopt a more citizen-centred approach to the public service. He emphasised:

There needs to be an increased focus on service delivery over internal reforms and a shift in emphasis from organisational inputs to outcomes for the citizen. The modernisation process needs to deliver results that are clear, useful and verifiable to the user. We need to put the public at the centre of our public services.

Mr Cowen stated that he strongly agrees with the OECD’s call for improved governance arrangements, ‘which must be at the heart of the next phase of public service modernisation’. Moreover, he highlighted that some recommendations could be signed up to ‘straight away’, while ‘some will require further reflection’ and ‘some may ultimately prove to be unsuitable to Irish circumstances’.

Key questions addressed

As part of the study, the OECD investigated a number of questions regarding the public service, particularly in relation to:

• whether the public service is delivering value for money;

• how Ireland compares with other OECD countries in terms of reforms achieved to date;

• how the public service can keep renewing itself to meet changing economic, demographic and social challenges;

• how the public service can continue to meet the needs and expectations of governments and citizens.

OECD recommendations

Among the recommendations of the OECD study are the following:

• a need exists for improved governance and performance dialogue in order to address the current lack of connectedness between the central civil service and the broader public service;

• rather than create new structures, a networked approach should be taken to working across existing structures to allow for greater connectivity between different sectors;

• a move towards a performance focus should be encouraged, with more information being gathered on outputs and outcomes and what has actually been achieved;

• in a potentially tighter fiscal environment, spending should be prioritised within budget frameworks;

• eGovernment must be developed to deliver integrated and citizen-focused services;

• in an integrated public service, the need will arise for increased flexibility for workers;

• a senior public service would create a single, integrated public service leadership cadre;

• a strong leadership role for the centre should be established.

Brian Sheehan, IRN Publishing