A radical shake-up is needed in the number of devolved government departments in Northern Ireland, Peter Hain insisted today.
In a keynote address reviewing the challenges for Stormont's politicians, the Northern Ireland Secretary gave the 108 MLAs until the power-sharing deadline of November 24th a chance to take responsibility for restructuring the future government of Northern Ireland.
However, he also warned: "If they have not done so by November 24 th, then I shall move ahead rapidly with the changes that I believe will improve the effective governance of Northern Ireland."
In a speech reviewing the work his ministerial team has done on what would normally be devolved issues, the minister said that if it was right to ask local government to slash the number of councils from 26 to seven, then it was also right to focus on the future shape of central government and whether 11 departments were needed to deliver public services in Northern Ireland.
"Following implementation of the review of public administration, a number of departments will simply be unsustainable in their current form," he said.
"The Department of the Environment, for example, will see many of its functions transferred to local authorities and, if it is recommended by the ongoing review of environmental governance, many of its remaining functions may transfer to a new environment agency.
"The Department of Regional Development will see responsibility for water transferred to the new Government-owned company and responsibility for local roads transferred to councils.
"And even in health and the two education departments, significant parts of these departments will transfer to the new Health and Social Services Authority and the Education and Skills Authority."
The Reverend Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein have queried the current structure of the 11 government departments in Northern Ireland and have suggested changes.
Critics of the devolved departments, which are currently administered by British direct rule ministers, have described them as unwieldy, bureaucratic and in some cases unnecessary.
During the last power-sharing executive, there were ministers for enterprise; health; education; employment and learning; agriculture and rural development; finance; culture, arts and leisure; environment; regional development and social development.
There was also an Office of First and Deputy First Ministers. They remained when devolution was suspended at Stormont in October 2002.
Mr Hain, however, today argued that a reorganisation of the departments would allow government to bring together areas of policy which, in his experience, currently hindered the delivery of public services.
"Does the separation of schools and further education (in the Departments of Education and Employment and Learning) really enable us to best deliver the new post-14 (years of age) curriculum?" he asked.
"Or is having a link between business and skills more critical? Does the separation of the government agency that pays benefits from the department that has responsibility for getting people back into work make sense?
"Can we properly deliver a joined-up policy for the environment when energy policy is separated from all other parts of environment policy?
"These are all issues that I want to now look at informing a view over the coming weeks. This is not simply an issue of numbers but of effective governance," he said.
PA