Maurice Hayes (Independent)

I welcome the Minister. I join those who have paid tribute to the work of the Civil Service Commissioners and local appointments commissioners over the years. They have done sterling service for this country in establishing probity and integrity of procedures, and in ensuring the quality and the independence of the Civil Service. Like Senator Leyden, I also remember the rich literature and the even richer folklore about the appointment of rate collectors when local authorities had the power to do so.

I wonder whether all of this is needed and whether a great deal might not have been done by modernising and streamlining the structures and procedures that exist at present. There is nothing to stop provision being made for the commissions to use agencies and consultancy advice. However, I applaud the objectives that the Minister has in mind and I welcome the insistence that standards will be maintained. There are difficulties with local recruitment when decentralisation to the extent envisaged takes place. It is not an argument against recruiting large numbers of staff locally, but it can lead to a degree of inbreeding. It can also lead to the development of local patronage, which is a danger. If agency A is appointed by the licence holder to do work in a particular area, that should not mean that people who are looking for a job in that area sign up with agency A to the detriment of others.

There is a difficulty where an external adviser is needed, particularly regarding health appointments. One can suddenly realise that the external adviser is the member of a very select club of people. A whole series of interlocking confidences and obligations exist that do not appear on the surface of the documents.

I hope the Minister encourages the possibility of lateral entry at different levels, particularly for gardaí, so that everyone does not simply come through the same hole at the bottom of the pyramid. It is a wise precaution that the commission is to be determined ex officio. However, the people appointed to the commission are very busy with other jobs. They therefore need to be underpinned by the capacity to monitor what is happening on the ground. They need to be supported by people who can do an audit across the system every year to ensure that quality is maintained. For instance, they can ensure that a different standard is not maintained from one part of the country to another, or from one Department to another.

I hope that the integrity of the public service is maintained. There is a danger that if people are recruited to a particular Department they become members of that team for life. One of the things we need to aim at in joined-up government is the ability of people to think outside the departmental frame and to move from Department to Department. The integrity and reputation of the Civil Service is something that we have all come to value. It is a great prize and no matter what is done the Minister should seek to preserve that. This will not happen unless there is constant monitoring and commissioners are put in a position to ensure that standards are being maintained and that there is consistency across the system.