Derek McDowell (Labour)

This is an interesting amendment. I have taken an interest in this subject over the years and wonder whether the Minister of State can update us as to where we are. I know where the long-standing talks with the trade union representing trade unions stand and to what extent we have moved towards performance management within the Civil Service, as higher civil servants have had a system in place for quite some time. Is there any real prospect of it extending through the middle ranks of the Civil Service in the near future? The Minister of State is familiar with the argument that if we choose not to remove non-performing or under-performing civil servants, and we cannot sufficiently reward those who are performing above average or particularly well, then we have stasis within the service, which is not healthy. People are not incentivised to perform well. I know that many people within the Civil Service unions have doubts about this, feeling that it would vest undue discretion in managers at various points in the service and that if one is doing a certain job one should get a certain level of pay. However, most neutral observers looking at the service would say that there has to be some mechanism other than promotion, which we know is pretty rigid, where we can reward those who are performing in a particularly good way or in a way which adds value to what is being done in a Department.

I am asking the Minister of State to give us an update on whether there are continuing talks with the issue and where they stand. I do not expect him to accept the amendment.