Reform of Politico-administrative Relations in the Irish System: Clarifying or complicating the doctrine of ministerial responsibility?

There is now widespread acknowledgement that the traditional notion of ministerial responsibility is itself no longer satisfactory and can no longer serve as the sole constitutional touchstone of accountability. However, attempts to reform and give clarity to what is regarded as an outmoded system with the introduction of managerialist ideas such as letting ‘the managers manage’ have not always led to the effectiveness envisaged. This discussion aims to investigate political and managerial accountability in Ireland using the case of the illegal charging of long term residents in state nursing homes since 1976 and the subsequent Travers report that investigated this issue in 2005. The case illustrates that the recent legislative reform seeking to clarify political/managerial roles does not appear to have had the anticipated and desired impact and that the growth in ministerial advisers also seems to complicate interpretations of accountability. The article illustrates the complexities of political/managerial roles for ministers, civil servants and political advisers and underlines the enduring ambiguity concerning the long-standing principle of ministerial responsibility.