merrion street

Minister of State for Public Sector Reform Brian Hayes this morning delivered the opening address to a conference on how to restore public trust in the Public Sector.  His wide ranging speech to the gathering at the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin adopted a pragmatic tone to addressing the breakdown in trust in banking and public institutions.  A point illustrated by a recent international survey that put public trust in the Irish government at 20%, well below the international average of 52% and one that undermines social cohesion.

The damage done and the seriousness of the situation which we now face will no longer allow us to carry on as normal. Winning the future will demand major reform.  The public sector and the interaction between government and the public sector will be central to the reform agenda.

The Minister identified the need to do away with the culture of secrecy that surrounds decision making in Irish Public life as essential to regaining the Public’s trust.  Central to this is demystifying processes surrounding all aspects of public spending and the budget itself.

As part of the process of reform the Government will establish an independent Fiscal Advisory Council [FAC] separated from fiscal decision makers in government.  That will undertake official fiscal macroeconomic projections and monitoring.  The FAC will be independent of Government and will report to the Dáil and the public.

A similar culture of scrutiny and transparency is application to the area of Appointments to State Boards.  The Minister listed more dynamic approaches to senior level appointments and secondments between public and private sectors.  These measures in tandem with improving public service leadership are necessary to the development of “professional competence, personal integrity, ethical behaviour and highly motivated individuals driven by a desire to serve the national interest and advance the common good.”

The competitiveness of the Irish economy was considered key to future prosperity.  In a public service context the Minister focused on important issues around state agencies and public sector pay and entitlements.

The full text of the speech is available here