The role of the Civil Service will be undermined by Government decentralisation, a conference in Dublin has been told. Seán Ó Riordáin, general secretary of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, was speaking at a seminar, Governance and Performance. He called for a "fundamental review of the scope and timing of decentralisation".
"A real fear, with the decentralisation of policy functions, is that the role of an independent Civil Service will be undermined," he said. "Important decisions will be taken with insufficient understanding of their consequences.
"Ministers will increasingly find the need to set up political cabinets and surround themselves with political advisers."
To improve accountability and offset some of the logistical problems that would arise with decentralisation, Mr Ó Riordáin said government departments should be managed by a board-type structure, with ministers and senior officials being required by statute to meet once a month. The position of special advisoers also needs to be clarified.
He added: "It is not, of course, that you can't run the government from down the country. It is just that you can run it better with key policy functions and people remaining together at the centre rather than spending half their lives travelling."
The conference was also addressed by John Cregan, director of the Health Service Executive's Regional Health Office for Dublin and Mid-Leinster, who argued that the executive's work was hampered by vested interests and a "blame culture".
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