IMPACT demands review of decentralisation ‘madness’
At the trade union’s annual delegate conference in Kilkenny, national secretary Louise O’Donnell said decentralisation had to be subject to business and financial analysis.
She said: “Why, after five years, has there been no audit of what has happened? Isn’t it time we talked about the big, white elephant sitting in the corner of the room, that’s eating up money faster than it can be printed — decentralisation. Should this not be the first place that we look at costs and expenditure? Does anybody even know how much it is costing the taxpayer to maintain this white elephant, particularly when we are still purchasing fields and empty buildings?”
Ms O’Donnell said it was “tantamount to folly” that the Government had re-affirmed its commitment to the decentralisation programme, even though it is 75% behind schedule, a full two years after it was due to be completed.
“We are calling on the Government to initiate a review of the process and to apply business, service delivery and cost-effectiveness criteria on a case by case basis, and to only proceed where these criteria can be met and the relevant staff are available.
“In April this year the OECD published a report on Irish public service. While they state they have not reviewed the decentralisation plan, they identify many flaws and weaknesses that tie in with what IMPACT had identified.
“Among other things, the report concludes decentralisation may endanger cohesion of the civil service and has hampered proper workforce planning and strategic development of services,” she said.
She said the original principle of decentralisation was to move people and posts from Dublin, yet more than 50% of those who have applied for decentralisation are already in provincial locations.
“It’s time to stop the madness. We are five years into this programme and just 2,000 people have moved. According to the original plan there is another 8,000 still to move, and the time scale just keeps moving back.”
