We need tough decision-makers

I have made a number of attempts to discover the academic qualifications that are required to become a civil servant. Even a request by me to one local TD Seán Sherlock failed to earn an acknowledgement.

Most of us have seen the performance and caliber of ministers, past and present, and taking into consideration the humble beginnings — only one previous Taoiseach was a ledger clerk — can see the importance of the quality of their advisers. When the quality of the advisers is not up to scratch the minister should have the courage to sort it out. Why should the taxpayer be burdened with the cost of a new team being added to his existing one?

We have had cowardly ministers in this government shirking their responsibility of selecting poor performers in their department, by giving early retirement bonuses hoping that the worst performers would take up the option. I think it backfired badly and the best ones took up his offer knowing that they could get another job easily.

There is one thing for certain, Ireland will remain in the doldrums of chaos until it has people in charge with the business skills and the courage to take tough decisions.

Production costs have to be brought down by as much as 30% and this will not be an easy task. The public sector and the pharmaceutical companies are Ireland’s principal labour employers at the moment. Both are loss makers and are obstacles to competitive unit costs because the pharmaceutical company does not have to worry about competition, it just raises the cost of medicine and the public sector paralyses the country with strikes if it doesn't go Jack O’Connor’s way.

Richard Prendergast

Mondaniel

Rathcormac

Co Cork