New study predicts what life and State services will be like in 2020

A new study Ireland 2020 which predicts what life and government services might be like in Ireland 100 years after independence, has been produced by the Institute of Public Administration (IPA).

The book which postulates on the consequences of change in Irish society and administration, has been prepared for policy makers.

It offers separate visions from a "do nothing scenario" to what would happen in the case of policy interventions by government.

"The value lies in confronting the policy makers and society on what might be," John Cullen, director general of the institute, said yesterday.

The book differs from usual IPA publications in that it does make predictions, "none of which will be right", Mr Cullen joked.

He was speaking yesterday at the launch of the Institute of Public Administration's Yearbook and Diary 2008.

Commenting on the common theme of change in Irish society in both publications, Mr Cullen noted the 11am launch of the Yearbook and Diary and remarked: "We have been told journalists don't like lunch anymore."

What's more, he added, the venue had been changed from IPA headquarters to Merrion Street "to be close to the journalists' places of work".

Keeping with his theme of change, Mr Cullen said it was gratifying that as Google and the internet become the search tools of choice for researchers and administrators, the Yearbook and Diary "in hard copies continues to sell in decent numbers".

In fact, the IPA Yearbook and Diary at €78 is expected to achieve sales of close to €1 million in 2008 - reflecting its near bible status among journalists, public relations people, and anybody interested in who runs Ireland.

This year even the Taoiseach had announced his new Government in time for inclusion in the diary "at our advice", said Mr Cullen, with his tongue firmly in cheek.

But he recalled the bad old days when governments changed a few times a year and the only hope for the yearbook was to carry an "errata" section.

In modern, more sensible times the diary is now able to list the full range of State services along with contact details and it also names key personnel.

The reorganisation of the health service had presented compilers with a mammoth task, according to Mr Cullen.

The book also records the salaries of civil and public servants, members of the Oireachtas and Government.

While it notes the October 2007 recommendation for a rise in the Taoiseach's salary, the diary does not however include the new rate of pay as it has not been formally sanctioned.

The diary explains that a Taoiseach's salary is €176,459 which is added to the office holder's TD salary of up to €101,446 (including long service increments).