Room for greater competence in quangos

THE reporting by your investigative correspondent Conor Ryan on the number of state agencies or quangos in Ireland and the composition of their boards is a welcome contribution to a complex (and hence often misunderstood) sector of Irish public administration.

There are indeed considerable difficulties in determining the number of agencies in Ireland given the variety of organisations in our public sector, but this is also true of other developed states. Research undertaken by the Institute of Public Administration and others in recent years have identified that the most significant feature of the Irish state agency population is the rapid increase in their number since the early 1990s, in response to varying international and domestic pressures.

This is the case not just at the national level, but at local level also. And as a result of the contraction in our public finances, the state agency sector is now subject to radical and arguably unparalleled transformation.

State agencies will, however, remain an essential part of government, and the focus on numbers alone tends to deflect from the more important issue of agency performance.

In relation to political patronage, it should be noted that while many board positions are appointed at the discretion of ministers, a substantial portion are in fact filled by representatives of various interest groups whose nominee(s) are rarely refused by ministers.

It has also been my experience that agency boards tend to welcome persons who may echo the views of the minister in their deliberations.

This is perhaps understandable given that the minister retains political responsibility for their work. Ministerial appointment should not automatically be interpreted as “cronyism”, but there is indeed room for greater public demonstration of appropriate competence in filling vacancies on state boards.

Dr Muiris MacCarthaigh

Institute of Public Administration

Lansdowne Road

Dublin 4