Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

The Deputy makes a valid point, and I would be delighted to read her proposals in this regard. One of the things I said today is that we do not have a monopoly of ideas on this side of the House. This is a process, and we are open to ideas. When I come to the Committee of Public Accounts and the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, I will make a full presentation on the timelines and the objectives that are being set out and how we are to achieve them, and any new ideas will be very welcome in that context.

Two of the points made by the Deputy are really important. One is the need for an integrated public service, because the current public service has grown like Topsy. I have only had a really good birds-eye view of it from my new position in the last eight months, although I have been involved in public affairs for a long time. One can see this by looking at any area of it. For example, holiday arrangements vary from 22 days to 45 days, with people getting fair days or race days depending on where they are, and hours are operated differently. To have an integrated public service with flexibility of movement within it is my objective, although it will take some time. We are setting the pieces in place from now on, but to change what is in place is much more profound. Ironically, the awfulness of a crisis gives one leverage to do things one probably could not have done in what one might call peacetime. There is a major buy-in from the public service - I hope there will be - to allow the sort of profound changes the Deputy and I would like to see.

The second important point made by the Deputy was about changing the emphasis - putting the focus on the citizen so he or she is in control. For example, in the health service we want to deliver, the money will follow the patient. People will not be arguing for this hospital or that hospital; the patient will decide where he or she wants to be treated, and the good hospitals will flourish while the public themselves will move away from those that are inefficient, have long waiting times or do not deliver high quality treatments. That maxim should be followed in service delivery across all areas of the public service. Access to information is also important. We want better statistics to be available - a sort of reversal of the principle of freedom of information, so that people are not asking for information but we are actually pushing it out. In this way we can provide a good snapshot of services and know where the best services are available. This would not only allow the citizen to access the best services but also shame the ones that are not good.

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