Public service inertia has consequences

Sir, – Hundreds of highly qualified overseas nurses hoping to work in Ireland are stuck in a visa “logjam” due to delays in processing their applications (News, June 5th).

It is “in effect impossible” for non-EU pharmacists to complete the required adaptation period to work here because of “a known anomaly” that prevents them getting a visa (News, June 6th).

Conor Gallagher reports (News, June 3rd) that delays in analysing drugs for criminal investigations are causing frustration. You reported recently that retirements, which are usually predictable, in An Bord Pleanála and the Probate Office are causing delays in dealing with planning matters and in the issue of grants of probate.

We have delays in the issue of felling licences for forestry, in the grant of licences to facilitate the generation of offshore wind energy, in the admission of patients to hospital, in the discharge of well people from our hospitals, in doing what we have committed to on climate change, in building houses and apartments, in doing what everyone knows needs to be done on the financing of third-level education, in grasping the nettle on our pensions timebomb.

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All of this sclerosis in our public administration is not victimless or without financial cost. People die. They go without homes. Enormous costs are pushed down the road to be dealt with by our children or grandchildren or we just waste money to be seen to be doing something.

Gordon Deegan reports (Business, June 6th) that we have to date spent €300 million on the Dublin metro “with construction work yet to take place”.

Our public services responded with energy, courage and flexibility to the emergency created by Covid-19. But surely housing, health and climate change are emergencies. They should be treated as such. – Yours, etc,

PAT O’BRIEN,

Rathmines,

Dublin 6.