Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's establishment of a public service development board, if that was the name mentioned, but a basic point must be acknowledged. The report includes the findings that our Civil Service ranks as first in the European Union as the most professional and least politicised public service, ranks sixth for the quality of our public administration and ranks fifth in terms of the perception that government decisions are implemented effectively. Reading this is heartening, given the fact that the austerity and cutbacks across the public service since 2008 and 2009 were devastating.

I wish to address some issues specifically. Is the Minister concerned that, for specialist areas in the public service, salary structures, rewards and so on are insufficient? Yesterday, Members were discussing the Department of Defence and how some specialists needed by the Defence Forces, for example, in the medical corps, are not available.

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