Karlin Lillington looks at what the future holds for the technology-oriented Communications division of the Department of Public Enterprise
Despite the fact that Fianna Fáil will again form the bulk of the next Government, the technology portfolio is about to be changed utterly. Thus, the advent of a new government, even if it ends up being the old Government, has far-reaching implications for economic and social policy.
Change centres on the question of which department will have responsibility for technology issues and infrastructure. The Department of Public Enterprise (DPE) has driven most of the State's infrastructure decisions and policy to date, excluding some e-government and trade issues, handled by the Department of the Taoiseach and Enterprise, Trade and Employment. But well before the election, plans were under consideration to break apart the constituent parts of the huge DPE, most likely hiving off its tech-oriented Communications division.
Rightly, DPE's sprawling responsibilities were seen to be too burdensome for a single minister, as issues such as the construction of telecommunications networks and the cost of broadband internet access became central, not peripheral, governmental concerns. But whither Communications - which contains a set of able civil servants working the tech area? This question will be even more fraught with the loss in the election of DPE Minister Ms O'Rourke, who will not be able to do fully-girded battle on behalf of her civil servants and her own vision of where Communications should go.
The question is also now a very political one. Even just five years ago, telecommunications issues would have seemed a dull-ish sideline to "real" responsibilities such as roads, air and rail transport, and the other bits of the DPE brief. Now, the Communications elements are seen as big picture, national concerns. Consequently, a power struggle is underway in the halls of Leinster House between a number of factions for control of this important division.
But the first issue that must be decided - and should be resolved next week, say Government insiders - is whether Communications will be its own division, or subsumed into some other department.
Sources close to Government say that even if, as now proposed, Communications rolls together infrastructure, e-commerce and e-government policy, tech research and development, and perhaps broadcasting into a Department of Information and Communication Technologies, it still would be too small to command its own minister.
Of more concern is the fact that constitutionally, only 15 ministers can have a vote in cabinet. Unless other departments are merged to make room for Communications, this new department would have a voteless minister with little real clout.
One proposal is that the division could be headed by a "super" junior minister - it could be a small department with a junior minister who would not have a vote but would still have a seat and say at cabinet. However, some sources close to Government suggest this is more likely the fate of Transport, if semi-state companies are in future controlled by a holding company.
Alternatively, Communications could be merged into some other department. Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht has been mentioned, along with Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Science and Technology; Finance and the Taoiseach's Department. Some believe Transport itself might retain Communications with DPE's Energy component sent to Environment.
But all depends on whether the PDs go into Government or not, say informed sources close to Government and the negotiations. If the PDs are in, they will be looking for additional ministerial responsibilities.
The Transport/Communications mix has been suggested as a titbit for PD president Mr Michael McDowell, whom one assumes will be foremost after the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, in the ministerial stakes.
But sources also believe Communications is now considered too important, both socially and economically, to go anywhere other than to the most powerful, well-funded departments - which means either that of the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste, or perhaps, on a very outside chance, Finance. While Finance (along with the Department of the Taoiseach) had manoeuvred to have a say on broadband policy decisions in DPE last year, it is seen as an unlikely home for the Communications division.
If Ms Harney remains as Tánaiste and head of Enterprise, Trade & Employment (ETE), she may want the division. The Tanaiste has shown strong personal interest in the Communications area and is known to take a keen interest in technology issues. A prickly rivalry also exists between the civil servants in ETE and DPE, who overlap in some areas of Communications policy. ETE civil servants would undoubtedly enjoy the prospect of taking control of the DPE Communications brief. DPE civil servants will want to hold down the fort and would likely prefer a Transport-Communications mix and their autonomy.
On the other hand, the Taoiseach's Department also has some natural claim to the new section. The Taoiseach's Department is the force behind most e-government policy and initiatives. It also was the initial home of the Liberties digital district project (before its transfer to DPE) and negotiated the deal for Media Lab Europe there, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And, the Department has set up an interdepartmental steering group on technology issues as well as a cabinet subgrouping in the area. The steering group supports the dismantling of DPE.
So, senior sources say the former Communications division may well ultimately come into the Taoiseach's Department as a division headed by a second secretary - a civil servant at secretary general level. The obvious choice for such a post, if he doesn't go to Transport, would be the influential Mr Brendan Tuohy, currently secretary general of DPE and widely seen as having been a key architect of government communications policy for many years. He has a strong profile internationally for this role, particularly among US technology companies. Presumably, his main set of civil servants would then stay with the section.
Feeling is that the government will also appoint an e-envoy - a special adviser on and implementer of a coordinated State technology policy. This person could be drawn from political, civil servant or business circles. Industry leaders and lobby groups are unifying on this issue.
However, there are few obvious candidates among politicians, unless someone suddenly gets tech religion. Industry feeling is that the individual needs a high national profile as a leader, or the role will become just another grey administrative job with little effect.
Whatever the Taoiseach's final decision on the reorganisation, one thing is certain. As never before, choices made now about tech policy will affect Irish life in far-reaching ways, and have a profound influence on economic and social progress. This wholesale reassignment and re-piecing together of the critical tech policy area must be handled with exquisite but expeditious care.
