John provides an alternative fiscal strategy in today’s Irish Times: you can read it here.
In addition to the Department-by-Department blow-by-blow recommendations, An Bord Snip Nua has offered general comments and recommendations in Chapter 2 of its Volume 1. Among other things, it speaks about:
– Outsourcing and economies through shared ICT.
– Rationalization of Departmental structures and agencies including for the delivery of services at local level;
– Improvements in procedures for public procurement and property management.
– Value for money and performance appraisals.
I would welcome specific comments on these structural and strategic aspects in this thread.
How about some specialized discussion on proposed cuts?
I haven’t yet counted the recommendations in Volume 2 of An Bord Snip’s report, but there is much detail on which specific expert comment would be valuable and could begin here.
Three-quarters of the potential savings identified by An Bord Snip nua are (unsurprisingly) in the three biggest spending areas: Health, Social Welfare and Education. I’m opening a separate thread for each of those three: keep this thread for the rest.
Please no general waffle on this thread please!
I’m opening this strand to facilitate more specialized discussion on the cuts in Education proposed by An Bord Snip, which total €0.7 bn or 8% of the €9 billion currently spent in this area.
The proposed cuts include:
Structural efficiencies (e.g. amalgamation of some ITs and VECs).
Staffing reductions and productivity improvements (e.g. in the area of sick leave arrangements, special needs assistants, pupil-teacher ratios, and more teaching hours)
Programme adjustments (mainstreaming of traveller education, costbrecovery of school transport, PRTLI)
I’m opening this strand to facilitate more specialized discussion on the cuts in Health proposed by An Bord Snip, which total over €1.2 bn or 8% of the €15 billion currently spent through the HSE.
Cuts here include: staffing roll-back of over 6000; a tightening of the eligibility requirements for medical cards; increased co-payments for prescriptions and walk-ins to A&E; and some rationalization of agencies.