Outsourcing Government: Public Bodies and Accountability

Public bodies, operating at national, regional and local level in Ireland are now more numerous than ever before; there is one for every 5,000 or so people. They have grown significantly over the last forty years and very markedly in the last ten years. Many are hugely significant in their impact on people's everyday lives, the scale of public expenditure they control and their sheer size as public sector employers.

This research from TASC looks at untangling the 'fog index' that exists around how Government works. TASC authors Paula Clancy and Grainne Murphy identify important issues of transparency, accountability and freedom from political/elite patronage.

The paper shows that:

• Public bodies have been developed in an ad hoc manner and that a coherent and joined-up rationale for the establishment of public bodies is an imperative.
• Many important public bodies are excluded from coverage by measures to provide transparency and accountability such as the Freedom of Information legislation.
• More than 5,000 appointments at national level alone are estimated to be in the gift of Government with no clearly established mechanism to ensure that appointments are free from undue political or other influence.