Jim Higgins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. When I first read the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003, I was reminded of the adage "If it ain't broke, then why fix it?" The current system of appointment, introduced in the Civil Service Commissioners Act 1956, has stood the State in good stead.

As the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, said, nobody can point a finger at the Civil Service commissioners. Nobody can deny that they have acted with complete probity and impartiality. There has been no need to state in advertisements, as one might have seen in an advertisement for a position for a post with a VEC a number of years ago, that canvassing will disqualify. The merest hint of representation on behalf of a candidate, covertly or otherwise, quite rightly leads to automatic disqualification. The Local Appointments commissioners operate to the same high standards. It is generally accepted that the two bodies, as well as being absolutely independent, have appointed candidates of a satisfactory quality.

What is wrong with the existing regime and the existing structures? Why should the two existing bodies be abolished and replaced by two new regimes? The Minister of State has defended the Bill by saying that it will introduce greater speed and flexibility:

As Irish society has evolved, the role and function of the civil and public service has also evolved. In recent years, the commission has been actively restructuring and refocusing its resources to ensure that it is best placed to provide a modern and expanded recruitment service to all its clients in the public service. In addition, it has been providing a range of services outside its traditional, more restricted remit.

It is clear that the commission has considerably expanded its role, has gone outside its traditional remit and has been doing a good job. When I listened to the Minister of State, I was struck by a contrast between his comments and the Bill's explanatory memorandum, which emphasises that "the flexibilities being introduced in this Bill will support the Government in its decentralisation programme". The Minister of State did not mention decentralisation, however.

I do not understand how the Bill can be said to provide for greater flexibility, other than by empowering the Secretaries General of Departments, or the heads of other offices, to bypass the proposed Public Appointments Service. Such officials will be able to apply for recruitment licences to allow them to recruit their own staff directly. I am not sure if that is necessarily a good thing. What is the merit of this measure? Will it not lead to a diminution of the uniformity of the standards which apply under the existing Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission? It was right that we paid glowing tributes earlier to officials from the Departments of Finance and the Taoiseach, who did Trojan work on the new treaty and the appointment of the new President of the European Commission.