Accountability - Better late than never

It is indeed remarkable that, in 2014, Government is finally introducing measures to make senior civil servants more accountable.

The absence of accountability at all levels of society has been the common thread running through our economic collapse. It must be assumed that the majority of senior civil servants have nothing to fear from this process, but it is reassuring that it will be possible to deal with those whose performance is less than exemplary.

Announcing the measures yesterday, Reform Minister Brendan Howlin also said that he hoped to reintroduce performance-related bonuses for civil servants who hit and beat strict targets. This is entirely as it should be, but if the scheme is to have the kind of credibility that will not make it yet another divisive issue, it will have to be far more rigorous that preceding systems of assessment in our public service.