I am delighted to speak on the Bill which is of concern to everybody. The legislation empowers Departments and other public service bodies to recruit staff directly as well as through a centralised system. In particular, the flexibilities being introduced in the Bill will support the Government in its decentralisation programme.
There are major reservations about the changes proposed to the traditional system of recruiting civil and public servants. The Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission has been effective. I regret that the Bill, if enacted, will dissolve the commission which has served the country well since the foundation of the State. It has been effective, open and competitive. It provided examinations and reasonably fair access to Civil Service jobs for people from throughout the country.
The system provided career opportunities independent of cliques and cronies. The devolution of recruitment functions to local and departmental levels and to private agencies may encourage a certain amount of favouritism. The record of jobs for the boys in the patronage tradition of Irish party politics does not inspire confidence.
Looking at the management systems in the public service to date, we can see a lack of knowledge of the level of staff working in it. Let us take the health boards as an example. If one asked for an exact staffing figure from the chief executive officer of each health board, he or she could not provide accurate data. We must question the methodology used for recording staff numbers and the mechanism of inflow and outflow of staff in health boards and the health sector.
We read in the newspapers this week a report of an extra 20,000 people recruited to the public service. That will mean a huge cost on the economy in future. The Minister went on the record and indicated that the policy was to reduce figures. I am not saying numbers should be reduced dramatically but something should be done about the management of the system. That the Minister was unaware of that increase in public service numbers clearly indicates what happens with the devolution of power within a tight system. What will happen when he devolves this role and gives other groups autonomy and power to employ people?
It is difficult to interpret the figures in the payroll system of the health board sector, one of the largest employers in the State. Clearly, that is a function of the Department of Health and Children. However, ultimately it is a function of the Minister for Finance. The situation is akin to that of the number of beds available. The Department cannot even tell us the number of staff operating within the system.
The Bill repeals the Civil Service Commissioners Act 1956 and introduces a new framework for recruitment to the Civil Service, the Garda Síochána and other public service organisations which heretofore used the services of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission. That commission was effective in the recruitment of staff. The new framework will consist of an oversight body to be known as the commission for public service appointments, CPSA; a centralised recruitment body to be known as the public appointments service, PAS, and a system of voluntary recruitment licensing. Will the Minister explain how this will be managed?
We all know what happened before the last general election; a great deal of employment was given in every county council and health board. There was no sense of management. The largest investment any company will make is in staff, which is the greatest expense. The creation of short-term contracts can be unfair to staff if there is not a fair term of contract. Although people are taken in to a system, the job can be gone in six months.
Fine Gael has a number of grave reservations about the Bill. Our spokesman, Deputy Richard Bruton, stated that the Government had developed a cocksure confidence in its own invincibility. Before the last election the Taoiseach said he would end hospital waiting lists within two years; this will never happen. I do not know if it was an untruth, but whatever it was, it was based on false figures. However, I will not debate health issues.
We are now told the Government will transfer 10,000 public servants, some one-third of the Civil Service and Government agencies, to 53 locations across the country within three years. While I welcome this, one has to be careful in regard to it. This should have been done many years ago. People might believe it if they were told it would happen on a staged basis. The Government only allocated €20 million for decentralisation in the budget. That is a small amount of money with which to acquire properties.
The Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, is aware that the State has long-term property leases in Dublin city. He may be familiar with one instance where a property was leased for 25 years for the input of CSO statistics. The computers which were stored there cost €9 million. Although they are now obsolete and the building is vacant, I believe the building continues to be leased. Perhaps the Minister of State will clarify the matter.
I am concerned at the potential cost to the State of breaking the long-term leases on properties leased to the State. The Dublin market is flooded with office accommodation.