Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about this legislation. I welcome the debate which is part of the broader debate on Dáil reform. There is an urgent need for the Oireachtas to become more relevant to the people, as well as more modern and efficient. In the past four years, in particular, the people have been looking for leadership on this issue, as part of the overall reform of the Oireachtas, politics and the country generally. It is important that we all become involved in this task. The bottom line is that it is not enough to talk about reform and introduce legislation, we also have to ensure we will see action, accountability and, in the context of this legislation, a quality public service.

The main objective of the Bill is to ensure the Clerk of the Dáil or Secretary General will be appointed through an open competition rather than internally. That is welcome as a positive statement of intent and a worthy part of the reform agenda. Under the existing legislation, an external candidate may only be appointed if no internal candidate is deemed suitable. This is at variance with the TLAC system for senior appointments which incorporates nomination by boards comprising a majority of members from the private sector with specific skills in management and human resources. The Bill also provides for the appointment of the Clerk of the Seanad and the Clerk Assistants of the Dáil and the Seanad by the Oireachtas Commission on the recommendation of the Ceann Comhairle or the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, as appropriate. We must ensure these decisions are implemented quickly and efficiently.

I have been very annoyed by the slow progress of reform generally and at the delay in the appointment of a Clerk of the Dáil. We have some excellent people working here. I take the opportunity to pay tribute to the fantastic work done by the former Clerk of the Dáil, Mr. Kieran Coughlan, and his team. He was Clerk of the Dáil when I came into the House in 2002 and both he and his staff provided very professional support and advice for many years. I also commend Mr. Peter Finnegan and Mr. Michael Errity and the current staff for their valuable work in recent years and keeping the show on the road.

On the issue of reform, several Deputies have referred to the fact that members of the Technical Group and Sinn Féin are not part of the Oireachtas Commission. This should be changed immediately and at least one or two members of these groups should be members of the commission. Irish politics has changed and that change must be reflected in Parliament. The consultation process should be developed further to ensure we will have inclusion when appointing public servants.

I am very supportive of the Bill's objective to ensure the Secretary General or Clerk of the Dáil will be appointed by way of an open competition. There have been significant developments in the efficiency and modernisation of the public service in the past four years. I have my disagreements with the Minister on many issues, but I agree with him strongly on the issue of reform of the public service. Many very positive reforms have taken place, although wider society seems to believe nothing has changed. I am fed up listening to derogatory comments about public servants and claims that there has been no change in the public service in the past four years. There has been an unprecedented level of reform in the workplace in the public sector in recent years. Productivity has been boosted by providing for additional working hours, but this is rarely mentioned. We have seen new shared services being developed and the redeployment of staff, as well as a 10% reduction in staff numbers. There have also been major reforms of the sick leave and annual leave regimes.

That reality is never reflected in the broader society. The attacks on the public service are appalling and unacceptable. From my political point of view I will stand by public servants and the public service. Equally, I encourage all to join in the reform agenda.

Up to now, the duties of the Clerk of the Dáil, who is also the Secretary General of Houses of the Oireachtas Service, were managing and controlling the staff and administration of Oireachtas services; providing services to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission; providing advice to the commission with respect to any matter connected with responsibilities of the service; examining and developing means that will improve the provision of cost-effective services; and dealing with the to the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956 and the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. There was also work on appointments, performance and discipline. The new Secretary General will be expected to play a role in providing advice and expertise to the Ceann Comhairle and Members of the Dáil; overseeing the sittings of the Dáil; dealing with parliamentary reform and ongoing procedures; managing staff; raising morale; creating opportunities; strengthening the planning capacity; and ensuring the Houses of the Oireachtas Service has a strong culture of leadership. That is what is on the agenda. That is a very difficult and important position. It can play a crucial role in Irish society on this issue. That is why I strongly support the idea of getting someone of the highest standard. There are people in the public service with the requisite skill and expertise. We need to get the best person for the job and let him or her get on with it. However, it is frustrating that over the past four years we have not got on with it.

I would strongly support any amendments. If people have constructive amendments, they should table them and let us see what they are about. We have a mandate from the people from the 2011 general election when we all knocked on the doors promising change and reform. We need to be part of that process.

I welcome the debate. There are very positive aspects to the legislation and I look forward to amendments being tabled. The bottom line is that we need to fill these positions and do so openly and transparently. We need to ensure they are very efficient and the right person gets the job so that they can get on with running the Houses of the Oireachtas and make an important contribution to modern Irish society.

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