Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We look forward to it. I am concerned that we would have real reform. Why do we still have a situation where there are more or less no dismissals for under-performance?

I am fortunate to have a granddaughter who grew up in France. She is studying in China at the moment. She has been there for some time but she goes back and forth. Her ambition is to become an ambassador or work in the French diplomatic service. One of our difficulties is that we send ambassadors to the Far East when they are in their 40s or 50s and they do not speak the language very well. I would love to think there are ways that we could train people up from an earlier age.

I wish to refer to some interesting ideas on public sector reform worldwide to see whether the Minister would be open to them. In France, the Government rightly identified that public service reform must be focused on what matters to people. They found that in general most people perceive Government services to be effective, based on just a small number of personal and professional interactions or what I call life events. How easy was it, for instance, to obtain a marriage licence or to register the birth of a child or for a business to open a new branch or office? As unfortunate as it is, claiming social welfare has become a life event, and the Government made it a key goal to increase public confidence by simplifying such interactions.

I am delighted that the Minister has grabbed hold of this issue and is getting somewhere, but I get frustrated, as I am sure the Minister does, at the length of time it takes to get things done. I encourage him to retain his commitment and enthusiasm and continue in the direction in which he is going in order to achieve what he has set out to achieve. I am delighted that we are having this debate.