Government welcomes the publication of NESC’s report

The Government welcomes the publication of NESC’s Report Ireland’s Five-Part Crisis, Five Years On: Deepening Reform and Institutional Innovation.

The report reflects the Council’s belief that the journey to find a way through Ireland’s banking, fiscal, economic, social and reputational crises, has highlighted the fact that strategies and policies can only be provisional starting points. Good systems for monitoring success and failure and institutional arrangements capable of review and policy adaptation are crucial.

The report focuses on four selected policy areas: banking and finance, enterprise policy, greening the economy and activation. Progress has been achieved on many fronts. However, international and domestic factors are qualifying economic recovery. The Council suggests ways to extend existing reforms in the four selected areas.

NESC highlights the need to balance and integrate the overall reform agenda involving three elements; fiscal adjustment, substantive changes in the services delivered, and the creation of the systems of policy making, standards, autonomy and accountability. It says the central challenge is to both increase innovation and accountability at the front line and build a supportive centre capable of spreading best practice and leading policy review and learning.

The Council also suggests that Ireland’s path through the crisis and the successful central design and delivery of a major public sector reform agenda, requires a clearly articulated and widely shared positive perspective on the future of the Irish economy, society, environment and State.

The Report is timely and will contribute to the formulation of the Medium Term Economic Strategy.