The reform of public administration in Northern Ireland: A squandered opportunity?

Abstract

The Review of Public Administration in Northern Ireland was heralded at its launch in 2002 by the then First Minister as an opportunity to put in place ‘a modern, accountable, effective system of public administration that can deliver a high quality set of public services’. Some ten years on, it remains a work in progress. The process of reform became enmeshed in the on-off pattern of devolution, at which point direct rule ministers in the Northern Ireland Office assumed control and reached ‘final’ decisions in 2006 to radically restructure local government, education, health and other public bodies. With the restoration of devolution, local ministers felt no sense of ownership of the reforms and made significant changes. What started out as a rational exercise in administrative reform became mired in party politics and is unlikely to complete until 2015