Public sector logic

At a meeting yesterday, in answer to a question about how performance standards could be ensured in a new agency, given that it would be a monopoly supplier, the answer given was that the people at the top would be on performance related contracts and if they failed to perform they’d be looking for new jobs. The next question was “Does that mean that people in the [new agency] will be on different pay and conditions, with performance related bonuses, whilst those in the [existing agencies] will not?” Answer: “Anyone TUPEed into the [new agency] will keep their current pay and conditions.” [TUPE = Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations]. If I translate the combination of those two answers correctly it means there’ll be no incentives to meet performance standards at all.