Madam, - Wednesday's edition reports that no fewer than five senior civil servants will participate in the taskforce appointed to review the public service. The secretary to the Government will chair a group in which four other departmental heads are represented: those of Education, Health, Local Government and Finance. Three people from the private sector are included. The Government said that "public service unions would be consulted".
The report is due by the end of the summer, a very tight deadline given the number of public servants, grades and unions involved.
I am concerned about the weighting of this group towards the civil service to the exclusion of the rest of the public service. It is also questionable how any such review can reach its conclusions so quickly Even to agree heads of discussion would be well-nigh impossible in this period - unless, of course, the conclusions have been agreed upon already.
The OECD report into the public service is only recently available. The consultation on local government reform is ongoing, yet a comprehensive public service reform is promised by "the end of the summer". How can such a clearly unbalanced group produce a balanced proposal on reform of the public sector in that time, if real and not ritual consultation is to take place. - Yours, etc,
LIAM McGLYNN,
Senior Executive Officer,
Corporate Affairs Department,
Fingal County Council,
Swords,
Co Dublin.
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Madam, - Not only flesh but vital organs will suffer when the knife goes into our public service spending. Fintan O'Toole (Opinion, May 20th) does a wonderful job in challenging the widespread untruths about public service spending. While reform may be necessary, cuts are not. It is vital you continue to present such cogent examinations of current myths. - Yours, etc,
MIRIAM MOONEY,
Fairfield Park,
Highfield Road,
Dublin 6.