Decentralisation plan - Government needs to think again

is good for you - provided the Coalition get it right. But if they get it wrong, which seems likely, the outcome will be disastrous for the country.

If he gets his way, Junior Minister Tom Parlon will scatter vital pieces of the administrative and decision-making jigsaw up and down the country without rhyme or reason in an approach which, according to seasoned observers, could paralyse the administration in times of national emergency.

For years, this newspaper has championed decentralisation. Time and again we stressed the urgency of stemming the haemorrhage of people from the heart of Ireland to the gaping maw of Dublin’s sprawl where traffic chaos, spiralling house prices and long-distance commuting are now endemic.

There are justifiable concerns over the Government’s handling of decentralisation. What began as a blatant electioneering stunt, with ministers vying to bring departments to their own constituencies, has assumed roller-coaster proportions.

Not surprisingly, the policy, if it can be called that, has come under fire from both civil servants and the opposition parties. It was inevitable that public service unions would be alarmed, especially since ministers have turned a deaf ear to their genuine concerns.

While some employees see the process in a positive light - grasping the chance to leave Dublin - others fear careers are threatened and families will be uprooted. Significantly, the focus is turning to the broader implications of dispersing key central Government departments to nine locations across the country.

As a committed regionalist, Dr Ed Walsh, former head of Limerick University, is keenly aware of the importance of decentralisation. Pointing to the experience of other European states, he has given a timely warning of the dangers inherent in the plan to disperse key departments to the four corners of Ireland.

Joined-up government, as he succinctly puts it, means swift and good decisions can be taken.

There is no evidence to suggest what the Coalition is doing will improve the quality of government. Indeed, its scattergun approach to the public service could influence officials into favouring their own regions, something that would militate against good planning.

Dr Walsh argues those responsible for running the country should be grouped in a coherent way, within walking distance of each other, so that issues can be debated and decisions reached without difficulty.

Thus it would make sense to move a cluster of inter-locking departments to a particular region. Instead, the Government seems bent on fragmenting the public service for narrow political gain. Ireland, it seems, is the only country set on breaking up its civil service whereas other states are forming cohesive clusters of administration to facilitate meetings and decision-making.

These points have been made again and again but all the indications suggest this arrogant Government is not listening. If Fianna Fáil and the PDs were really serious about decentralisation, they would loosen the vice-like grip of the Department of Finance over public funding and empower local authorities to raise monies necessary for long-term planning and decision-making.

Failing that, the Government, and especially Mr Parlon, should heed warnings that they are in grave danger of botching the decentralisation of the public service.

There can be no place for incompetence in carrying out this important task. The Government should go back to the drawing board.