Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Transparency would help with that. The more transparency there is, the less insider knowledge one would get because much of it becomes public. I am not suggesting that if the private sector ran the public sector all would be well. It is just as important for public servants to work in the private sector, and the private sector would have much to gain. It would not necessarily be on secondments. What I have in mind is a career path whereby one could do five years in the public sector, five years in the private sector and so forth. It would be useful to look at the public service contract on that basis. We have talked about it in the context of the new public service pension scheme previously, to allow flexibility for public servants to move in and out of the service. It is something the Minister might consider, and particularly the job-for-life culture and rules.

I do not think they do any service to public servants. Some public servants may find that counterintuitive but it does not help that, no matter how well one person does and no matter how poorly another person does, both progress in the same way.