Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not disagree. One of the questions that is central to the current talks is how we will change the workforce and do things in a radically different way. This requires redeployment and a whole-of-government approach. We need to examine the performance management and development system, PMDS, to determine who is marking it and whether there is real engagement with the process and to ensure people are accountable.

Managers in the public sector are paid very well vis-à-vis public service managers in other similar sized countries. They must manage and be held accountable for their management but we cannot have some centralist, Stalinist approach to management. How we move forward on this issue will be central to the discussions with the public sector unions. Local managers are paid very well and must manage their budgets and engage with people on the ground to ensure we achieve efficiencies and changing work practices. I strongly agree with the Deputy that a centralised approach leads to inefficiency.

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