27 February 2002
EXECUTIVE TO REVIEW EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
First Minister, Rt Hon David Trimble, MP, MLA, and Deputy First Minister, Mark Durkan, MLA, have outlined the terms of reference for the Review of Public Administration to the Assembly. The review, which is to be launched in the Spring, will be led by the Northern Ireland Executive.
Mr Trimble said: "The Review of Public Administration is one of the major tasks facing the Executive. It is central to the way we deliver, structure and organise our public services in the future. Quite simply, it is an opportunity to put in place a modern, accountable, effective system of public administration that can deliver a high quality set of public services to our citizens. It is an opportunity we must take.
"We identified the need for a wide-ranging review of the public sector in February 1999. The creation of the Assembly and a regional tier of government rightly leads to a set of questions about the overall architecture of government. We have 3 MEPs, 18 MPs and 108 MLAs. In addition there are 582 local councillors from 26 district councils and over 2000 public appointees to more than 100 public bodies. All of these elements are working for a population of just over 1.6million. It is only natural that the public ask whether Northern Ireland is over governed.
"The introduction of the Executive and this Assembly means we need to consider the balance with a local government system which has remained relatively untouched in terms of structure and powers for 30 years. The Review will consider what services should be delivered by regional government and which by local government. It will also consider how many councils are needed and address how services should be delivered.
"We recognise that many feel an affinity with their local councils and that they are seen as responsive to local needs. Against that, there are questions about whether 26 councils are needed and how efficient the current system is in overall terms. This highlights the fact that there are balances to be struck between local accountability, public confidence, efficiency and effectiveness.
"Of course there is already much speculation about the outcome of the Review. There are fears that councils will be abolished and towns will lose public sector jobs. There is no presumption that centralisation, whether structurally or geographically, is better. We are committed to examining the scope for decentralisation of civil service jobs in the context of an accommodation review being led by the Department of Finance and Personnel."
The Deputy First Minister welcomed the public interest in the Review and stressed that there are no predetermined outcomes. He also reinforced the importance of partnership to ensure effective public service.
Mr Durkan "We want to encourage widespread public debate of the issues. The level of interest the public has already shown has been encouraging. We hope that interest and involvement develops as the review starts to examine the substantive issues that need to be addressed.
"Our objective is to create the best possible system of public administration. It is not about cutting jobs or rationalisation of the public sector. It is about the delivery of public services and the legacy we want to leave to future generations. In the context of devolution and the newly established institutions our current system needs to be changed to reflect the new dispensation. We need to move forward with a modern system of administration that lives up to all our expectations.
"That may mean new ways of working and new ways of thinking about the delivery of services. Partnership is a key theme of this administration -- partnership between the customer and service provider, between local and regional levels of government and between government and the community. In looking at the way services are administered we will be keen to examine new ways of working, including the development of partnerships at local levels and between different levels of government.
"Many localities now have partnership boards or local strategic partnerships of relatively recent standing. These relate to local government, the public sector and to the community in a variety of ways. But one of the issues for the Review is to examine whether there are mechanisms from European and other arrangements that provide potential opportunities for the future here. We need not only look at how we can improve the delivery of public services but also how we can ensure appropriate local accountability for those services."
NOTE TO EDITORS:
- The Executive’s commitment to undertake a Review of Public Administration is set out in the Programme for Government for 2002-03, section 7, paragraph 7.5, sub-priority 3.
- The full text of the proposed terms of reference for the Review can be accessed on the dedicated review website at www.rpani.gov.uk
- This site also provides a facility for any member of the public to provide comments on the terms of reference.
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