‘Trust in public services collapsed’

TRUST in public services has collapsed during the recession, with confidence lower than in Greece, a conference heard yesterday.

The Institute of Public Administration (IPA) conference in Dublin also heard former taoiseach John Bruton claim “that gap between spending and revenues can be bridged” if Ireland faces its responsibilities as a sovereign democracy.

On the subject of public services, Muiris MacCarthaigh, research division of the IPA, said high profile scandals and malpractice had undermined faith in the public sector.