Is decentralisation working?

20% YES 80% NO

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• What curious examples offered by Messrs Mansergh and Kelleher. Templemore garda academy cited as the highest achievement in decentralisation the state has ever known (besting even inisvickalaun) whereas on the other side we have the prison service removed from its ironically termed "customer base". For almost a month the OECD reports have made dreary reading for those who watch Ireland's real estate, public service or economic epics of great words and silly deeds. Yet neither learned gentlemen thought to wonder about the quality of schools the urchins spawned by our itinerant civil servants might find in their diverse hedgerows of an Ireland where all motorways would go to Dublin were they built thereafter to be diverted past the nearest Tesco.. I suppose it's too late in the day to suggest decentralising Brussels to save the senior civil servants that extra day travel allowance? You know - just a little clause in the Lisbon treaty.
  iosaf mac diarmada  Spain
• I note from Minister Manseragh's contribution his excitement at the decentralisation of something called the "Private Security Authority" to his backyard in Tipperary town. This quango is now "employing" 50 people at the taxpayers expense. If the purpose of decentralisation is to inflate parish pump patronage to new levels, its certainly working.
  John  Ireland
• Decentralisation can have positive benefits for local economies but the way it is being implemented is pure madness and causing organisational chaos.
  Liam O Cuimin  Ireland
• No. I agree with John Kelleher. Also, I am a civil servant working in Dublin and I sure as heck don't want to be decentralised.
  Conor  Ireland
• If they were decentralising staff in blocks of 3,000 to other cities in Ireland like Cork and Limerick there'd be a much better takeup and less problems after implementation. But that would require courage, and some TDs having to go back to their constituencies empty handed. I don't know why this is such a priority for the government.
  Rachel  Ireland
• Decentralisation is a botched political effort to relocate civil and public servants to politically sensitive constituencies around the county. It has failed but the politicians of all parties obstinately refuse to acknowledge the obvious. It was touted as cost-free but is actually costing in the region of getting on for half a billion euro which does not include the hidden costs of loss of morale and depressed efficiency and effectiveness as well as huge turnover in some departments/secetions/agencies. It a mess. It should be abandoned under cover of a new review in the light of the recent OECD report on public service in Ireland. But will stubborn politicians get the message?
  John Colman  Ireland
• In theory, it should be a good idea. Its not one that everyone will ever agree with but if Ireland is ever to advance than the regions and majority of the population in Ireland need to develop along side our capital. The problem as I see it, is that the goverment is trying to decentralise some goverment departments while centralising health services in particular. How do you bring public (or private) sector workers to a new area with the hope of a new start and new way of life. While at the same time you are stripping away the very infrastructure and services they will need. A great idea, that will never work, out Government has proven again that it is simply incapable of viewing the large picture.
  Killian  Ireland
• Martin Mansergh wrote: "Progress in implementation on the ground either goes unreported, or is dismissed as falling well short of overall targets." If something falls well short of targets can it be considered a success? Will Minister Mansergh accept the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism and the OPW falling short of "overall targets"? Will this sort of thinking be acceptable if/when Government/Departmental projects fail due to decentralisation? What will the electorate think when falling short of "overall targets" becomes failure?
  Mary  Ireland