Renewing the Republic:There is now an urgent need for significant changes to ensure a better public service
I RECENTLY asked a young civil servant why he joined the Civil Service. He responded that he had left a very good, higher-paid job in a legal firm to take up a job in the Civil Service because, in his own words, “I wish to represent my country abroad some day”.
So, what is it about the Civil Service that still attracts young talented people to it? Many people might see the salaries, the “permanent and pensionable” jobs, the opportunities for promotion and the general conditions as being the most important elements. However, people also join the Civil Service because they genuinely believe in “public service”.
The mission of the Civil Service is "the achievement of an excellent service for Government and the other institutions of State as well as for the public as citizens and users of public services, based on principles of integrity, impartiality, effectiveness, equity and accountability" ( The Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour).
The mission is very laudable but many citizens in Ireland today would not consider that this mission is being achieved.
Talking to public servants, it is clear that there is still a strong sense of commitment to public service. But there is also deep unease among many with the current disputes in the public service and, in particular, the manner in which the public is being affected. It runs against the grain for most public servants to be involved in disputes, especially when the country is in such a vulnerable state. Many public servants are concerned about the long-term damage these disputes are doing to the public service itself and to its relationship with citizens.
It is important for the country that the public service continues to attract talented people to work in it. The public service has made a significant contribution to the development of the Irish State. But what worked in the past will not be adequate for the future. There is now an urgent need for significant changes in the public service not only to enhance policy-making but also to ensure more efficient, effective and competitive delivery of infrastructure and services.
Besides being important to Irish citizens, the quality of public policy and public services is an important determinant of our international competitiveness and any benchmark needs to include how well we are performing internationally.
As a country, we rely heavily on our exporting businesses for wealth and job creation. Irish exporting companies must be best-in-class globally to compete successfully. If they don’t compete, their businesses simply will not continue to exist. To compete, they must be focused on their customers’ needs and on delivering high-quality products or services in a timely manner at competitive prices.
Our public services must also attain a similar standard. This challenge will demand significant changes in public institutions and culture of the public service.
Serving the citizen must once again be put at the heart of public service. Where possible, for example, opportunities should be provided for citizens to have choice rather than be faced with a monopolistic provider. Performance targets should be set across all sectors of the public service. The standards of performance should be publicly available and public servants should be personally accountable for the achievement of those targets.
The absence of personal accountability in the public service is one feature that has to be tackled in any programme of change. Many other changes that are necessary have been outlined in the OECD Public Management Review of Ireland(2008). This report provides some good recommendations but it is still only a report – and reports are not results. What is needed now is the urgent implementation of these recommendations.
In this Irish Times"Renewing the Republic" series, many contributors have expressed their frustration with the political institutions and with the public service. Many of these criticisms are well-founded. Similar frustrations are often felt by the public servants themselves as they wish to work in a service that is highly regarded, well run and delivers a good service.
At times one might conclude from all the negative media commentary that, as a country, we cannot get anything right.
There are many good things about Ireland, for instance, the country’s success in attracting foreign direct investment, against huge international competition. This is testimony to the manner in which we have successfully created a facilitatory environment to attract some of the most sought-after companies in the world.
Government, IDA and businesses market Ireland as a country that has a well-educated workforce; is institutionally responsive, nimble and flexible; is a good place to do business; and where it is easy to meet relevant ministers and officials who can understand the concerns of business.
In the words of one international chief executive: “Ireland has the flexibility of a start-up and the scale of a country.”
To continue to attract foreign direct investment and to successfully develop indigenous enterprise, the country must adapt in a timely manner to the international challenges and we must demonstrate that we have an ongoing capability for renewal – both in the public and private sector.
In much of the recent media commentary, it is often asked why Government cannot be more like the private sector, and comparisons are often drawn between both. There are many world-class companies providing outsourced services from around Ireland, yet their expertise is not generally used by the Irish public service. There are huge opportunities for collaboration between both so that high-quality public services can be delivered in Ireland and then similar services can be offered abroad based on the joint expertise of the public and private sectors. This is not a threat to the public sector but rather an opportunity.
But managing in the public and private sectors can also be different. In an article, Managing Government, Governing Management( Harvard Business Review, May-June 1996), Henry Mintzberg outlines how private business has customers who can usually choose between alternative suppliers. On the other hand, governments not only have customers (who receive direct services at arm's length and usually do not have alternative suppliers) but they also have citizens (who have rights as citizens and who also receive indirect benefits from public infrastructure), clients (who receive professional services, such as health and education from government) and subjects (who have obligations as citizens to pay taxes, etc).
For example, if somebody is applying for planning permission to extend their house, they would ideally like that decision immediately. Yet, the local authority has a duty to others as well to ensure there is sufficient time for neighbours and others to comment on the proposals. So, there are always conflicting tensions for the public service in discharging its responsibilities – something that may not always be fully appreciated by people.
Mintzberg goes on to outline the complexities of managing in the public service and suggests that “while government may need managing, management could use a little governing too”.
Managing the public service is complex and there are significant challenges to reform it. A full Cabinet minister with a department of public service reform would be seen as a strong signal that this is an important issue for government. It could bring the best of modern public service and private sector practices to bear.
As part of this process, there is a need for an informed debate on the role of the State in a modern society and how best the public service can continue to do what it does best and work with the private and non-profit sectors to deliver high-quality services to its citizens. Could this possibly be an issue on which there might even be cross-party support?
The current crisis in the public service provides an opportunity for the most significant reforms since the establishment of the State.
These will not only benefit the country but they will establish a renewed pride within a public service that could then be regarded internationally as best-in-class.
Brendan Tuohy is a former secretary general of the Department of Communications, Energy Natural Resources and worked in the Civil Service from 1983-2007
The Renewal Debate: Readers' Reactions
HERE IS a selection of edited responses online to Friday's article by Ken Benoit
Frank72:Methinks that our troubled times call for the setting up of a citizenship association to advise our inept politicians on the way out of the economic mess that they have landed us all in.
Robert Browne:According to Article 6 of the Constitution, "All powers of government, legislative, executive and judicial, derive, under God, from the people, whose right it is to designate the rulers of the State and, in final appeal, to decide all questions of national policy, according to the requirements of the common good." How is the "common good" served by telling citizens that unless they owe €5,000,000 and are a "famous" developer, they cannot get into Nama? There is little, if any point in constitutional reform when our present Constitution is ignored by the legal hegemony. Ireland is in the grip of legal and political elites . . . the simple fact is, they have overseen the bankruptcy of the State.
Chris:A citizens' assembly seems like a good idea but this being Ireland, it is unlikely that such an assembly would be free, independent, transparent . . . its members would be carefully chosen to reflect the tribal interests of whatever party is in power but would be manipulated to appear as though the people chosen were "randomly" selected.
Amadan:How do you develop engagement across the community so that a citizens' assembly doesn't just become the voice of the
Irish Timesletters page? I think it's a very good idea but the catch-22 seems to be that it needs political support, but can't afford to be hijacked by the people with the greatest interest (and expertise) in doing so, namely the political establishment. Without proper cross-community support and engagement, it will just degenerate into The Angry Party.
Peter Nevin:I have no political experience or affiliation. I write as an individual who is passionate about voting and concerned about our country . . . I am launching a petition today, calling for the establishment of a citizens' assembly on political reform. The petition form can be downloaded at talktherapylimerick.ie. Look under "news".
Under the Lisbon Treaty, citizens of the EU can raise a petition for change. One million signatures across one-quarter of the EU countries is the minimum number required. For the population within the Irish Republic, the equivalent number would be 9,000 signatures across 11 constituencies. Let's go!