Ireland’s Leader of the Opposition has come under fire for labelling the country’s Public Service as “constipated” and “in need of a jolt”.
Mary Lou McDonald, who heads the Sinn Féin Party in Parliament, said tackling the “constipated” Public Service would be one of the biggest challenges for her party in Government.
“There is immense talent in our Civil Service and in our public administration, but we have, in many respects, a system that is constipated, a system that is slow, and a system that needs to be jolted into more efficient actions,” Ms McDonald (pictured) said.
Minister for Public Expenditure, Michael McGrath, called the remarks unwarranted and unjustified from someone who was offering herself as a potential Taoiseach (Prime Minister).
“We’re talking here about 350,000 Public Servants who we are relying on to roll out our vaccination program,” Mr McGrath said.
“They are teachers who are turning up to teach our kids,” he said.
“They are the Defence Forces who have really stood up to the mark to ensure the vaccination program continues.
“They are the Gardaí (police) on our streets,” the Minister said.
“They are nurses who are in ICU, covered up in PPE, trying to keep the show on the road and look after people who are really ill.”
Mr McGrath said there would always be room for improving how the public sector operated but tarring the whole service with the one brush was unfair.
Former Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan joined the criticism, saying public sector workers across Ireland had shown exceptional resilience, flexibility and dedication over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They deserve our appreciation and thanks rather than insults,” Mr Flanagan said.
Dublin, 8 January 2022
