The OECD’s Report Towards an Integrated Public Service, is extensive, running to nearly 375 pages. Among the key findings and recommendations set out in the Report are:
- General government employment in Ireland is relatively low among OECD countries. It is significantly less that the level of public employment in Norway, Sweden, France, Finland and Belgium.
- Ireland has the third smallest total public expenditure as a percentage of GDP, (third to Korea and Mexico), and this figure has decreased over the past ten years.
- If the Public Service is to become more responsive to meeting citizens expectations and achieving broader societal objectives, the OECD recommends thinking about the Public Service as a more integrated 'system'.
- The full potential of ICT and e-government is not being realised by public sector organisations for citizens.
- Performance measures and initiatives need to be better aligned with the overarching outcomes and high-level societal goals, in order for the general public to understand the benefits of the Public Service.
When you consider that, in practical terms, we have no armed forces worth talking about then the numbers, and more importantly the amount we spend, are quite large. I have no problem with that; the real issue is value for money.