Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach
Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health
Mr. Robert Watt:
No, that is not what I said. Obviously, the Government said it will look at the procedures. I think the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste said they will look at the procedures and learn lessons from the report, so I am sure it will have an impact in the future on how these things are done. However, as a general principle, it is a very good idea that people are moved between Departments and moved between Departments in the Civil Service and the wider public service. I think it is one of the best things we have done over the past ten or 11 years, that we have allowed much more fluidity. That is good for the receiving organisation and good for the individuals concerned in terms of their own experience and learning. If you have somebody in a Government Department and they end up going to work for an agency or body, that is a good thing, the same way, for example, over the years, plenty of teachers have moved into the Department of Education. That sort of movement is a positive thing. However, of course, there are lessons. The Government said there are lessons to be learned, which might have relevance for future secondments of this nature. However, as a general principle, it is a very positive development. That is the point I was making.
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