Allister hits out at DARD bureaucracy
25 April 2008
Traditional Unionist MEP Jim Allister has written to DARD’s Permanent Secretary, to raise concerns about what he describes as ‘a continuing culture of bureaucracy’ within DARD.
The MEP said,
“Recently, I had occasion to want to speak to the Chief Veterinary Officer, Bert Houston, on an animal welfare issue. I rang that section and asked to speak to him or one of his deputies. After much prevarication I was told I could not do so and that I must channel my request for information through the Private Office. Why? Why should I as an elected representative not be able to speak directly to a public official about a matter within his realm of expertise? The Private Office may consist of very able civil servants but they are not masters of the discipline of veterinary medicine.”
”In Brussels - which is often thought to epitomise bureaucracy at its worst - I can lift the phone at any time and speak to any Commission official I want. I often find them to be far more forthcoming and open than local civil servants. Having spoken to key figures in the agri-food industry in Northern Ireland, I know my frustration and experience is not unique.”
”It is high time the processes within DARD are fundamentally overhauled, and unnecessary obstacles eliminated to create open and transparent access to what is, after all a public body. Thus, in addition, to a full explanation as to why my specific request was so treated, I have asked the Permanent Secretary for his views and plans to liberalise and modernise the procedures within his department.”
ENDS
