MINISTER FOR Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said he told semi-State chief executives that the Government could not afford to keep employing them all.
Mr Howlin said a key question to be asked of all public bodies was whether they were performing tasks that were essential to economic and social recovery.
“When I met the chief executives of the semi-State bodies, I told them they were all doing a fine job and working very hard, but that we cannot afford them all anymore,” he added.
“I told them they would have to examine their own functions at the outset, rather than undergo an external review.”
Mr Howlin added that he also told them they could merge, hive back their core function to their parent department, and so on.
“That level of fundamental questioning of all activities of government, public service and public policy must get under way,” he said.
The Minister was replying to the debate on the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2011, establishing his new department.
He had a predisposition to saying that the Seanad could be retained and reformed.
“However, if we use the yardstick that we need to apply to everything, then we should ask if Seanad Éireann is doing a job that is absolutely essential and that no other organisation can do,” he added.
“I came to the conclusion that we could do without it.”
Jerry Buttimer (FG) said money was wasted on fancy projects in the past decade by “unaccountable ministers who had a slush fund and who spent it as if they were literally trying to buy votes”.
Stephen Donnelly (Ind) said if more was required from public sector reform than increased efficiency, and if they wanted to transform public services, a much more sophisticated and inclusive approach than envisaged under the Croke Park agreement was required.
Dara Calleary (FF) urged Mr Howlin to come back with a second Bill transforming the role and nature of the relationship between higher civil servants at assistant secretary and secretary general levels and ministers, so they could go back to a stage where the minister took control and was accountable.
