Senior public servants in Government Departments, local authorities and State agencies should be given greater autonomy in order to create greater innovation in the public service, the Enterprise Strategy Group has found.
Recommending that the Government "re-energise" programmes aimed at providing greater Government efficiency, the report notes that expenditure on the public service has risen by 90 per cent in the five years to 2003 to 36.9 billion. "The delivery of cost-effective Government remains both a strategic imperative and a potential source of competitiveness for the Irish economy," the report said.
In order to create "an environment conducive to innovation within the public sector" the Government needs to identify specific and prioritised goals for various authorities and departments through re-energising the Strategic Management Initiative and Delivering Better Government efficiency programmes.
Senior managers within the public sector also needed to have greater autonomy in terms of staffing their organisations, according to the report.
To encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the private sector, income tax reliefs through the Business Expansion and Seed Capital schemes should be maintained, the report recommends, while the private sector and Enterprise Ireland should continue to "stimulate the development of seed funds to address gaps in the financing of business start-ups".
The senior cycle syllabus in schools should also include entrepreneurial skills, and Government should also support award schemes aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship.
"Innovation requires a particular mindset that involves curiosity, creativity and problem-solving," according to the strategy group. "Entrepreneurship requires this attitude, together with a desire for autonomy."