Mr. Joe O'Brien:

I would be anxious to avoid a perception that it is about making staff wear name badges and then they can be "got". It is not about that; it is about improving the service level. Our argument is that if officials are aware their name is out there, then customer service and the administration of applications will improve. The paradigm is really about providing a better service rather than making people more identifiable and thereby, perhaps, leaving them feeling more vulnerable. Having said that, public servants should be identifying themselves in any case. The badge proposal is simply a mechanism that would help to ensure this happens consistently and across the board. Consistency of practice is something of an underlying theme. We deal with many good officers and good offices but, equally, there are problematic pockets.