John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I again welcome the Minister of State to the House and am pleased to welcome the OECD report on integrated public service reform. It gives us an opportunity to remind ourselves of the role the public service has played in Ireland's development. We have one of the finest public services anywhere.

It was only in the 1960s when Dr. T. K. Whitaker and Seán Lemass began a process of developing the economy of this country. Prior to that, we had a public service that provided services for the nation that the private sector was not in a position to provide. I am thinking of services such as the Irish Sugar Manufacturing Company and Bord na Móna, which supplied our energy needs, especially during war years. I am conscious that the Land Commission was necessary to redistribute land during the founding years of the State. This took place across so many facets of Irish life that we now take for granted, many of which have subsequently been privatised. These include Telecom Éireann, which is now Eircom, and other State-provided boards such as the Shannon Free Airport Development Company, which was an example to so many others throughout the world. Other examples include the IDA and Forfás.

We have a public service that brought the nation along with an integrated plan for development. It is a very well-educated and highly regarded service which is somewhat on the French model where it is rightly seen as a great public service. We should also remember the great work done by the Institute of Public Administration in providing education. As a graduate of that institution, I can say how very well-organised, committed and focused it is. I welcome the OECD review. Not surprisingly, this review shows that we have one of the most cost-effective public services. Of the OECD nations, we have the third lowest cost for our public service which again must be welcomed.

We are in the midst of changing with decentralisation. This decentralisation is to be welcomed because it is bringing into the provinces many of the services of the State which can, through better communications facilities, be just as easily undertaken in rural areas. As a student of this particular aspect of public service, I am conscious there is a timescale involved, primarily because one wants to allow people in the public service time to stream. I am conscious of the French model where over ten years it was decided that if a department was going to Lyon, which may not have suited everybody in the department, they were given sufficient time over a ten-year period to stream into that area or department that was going to where they wished to go. Of course, decentralisation was handled very well.

The purpose of the OECD review was to benchmark the public service in Ireland against comparable countries and make recommendations regarding future directions for public service reform. There was a particular emphasis on how the various parts of the public service relate to each other, including the Civil Service and particular sectors such as local government, health, education and justice.

The review was undertaken by the OECD's public governance and territorial development directorate. In addition to the core OECD team, national experts from other OECD countries have been involved as peer reviewers. The OECD, which is based in Paris, was established in 1961, with Ireland as one of its 20 founding members. It is an international organisation with 30 full members which promotes dialogue and the exchange of good practices in public and corporate governance issues, including issues relating to the economy, policy making, human resource management, ethics and information technology. Much of the OECD work is based on peer review and dialogue. It has extensive databases and access to key policy makers throughout its network of committees and working parties.

The OECD is a reputable organisation. We are proud founding members of it. The findings of the 375 page report are that general Government employment is relatively low compared to other OECD countries. Ireland has the third lowest public expenditure as a percentage of GDP. We have low cost and low employment, yet we have excellent results and service.

We need to enable co-operation and co-ordination to ensure there is no disconnect between the Civil Service and the broader public service. The OECD recommends that the public service think more as an integrated system. We can only welcome this, which is not a criticism but a recommendation. I would happily take on board this recommendation. There are many aspects of e-Government that have yet to be rolled out. The public service will continue to play its leading and proud role.