John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In doing those reports or in doing a review of a Department or taking an issue and dealing with it, what effort is made from within the senior Civil Service to ensure that there is real independence there from the private sector? One would often see people who worked previously for the HSE or previously for a Department and they are given a job to review something or other or to create a report on some issue or other. Does the Civil Service reach beyond that? Are there independent bodies out there that can be used to give a greater indication to the public that there is a drive here for greater transparency? I am not questioning the credentials of these people.