Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

Change is in the air and reform very much on the agenda, especially with the debates in the House this week and the Private Members' motion from the Technical Group. The Minister tells us that the Government is committed to fundamental review, reform and the overhaul of all aspects of government and administration in Ireland. The programme for Government also envisages a renewed focus on a range of related reform issues to facilitate more open, transparent and better government, giving citizens a greater choice and input into service delivery. Our Private Members' motion is about rebuilding Ireland's political system into an effective, accountable, transparent, representative and participatory institution. We have so much in common - desire for change, effectiveness and accountability - that we might all be voting the same way tonight.

The Minister identifies the kernel of this as leading to "a changed, more effective and less costly public service". Doing more with less seems to be the prevailing theme. There is no doubt that money has been squandered in the good years but we need to promote values besides money, and not just value for money, important as that is. We need a public service ethos to serve and empower the public and not institutionalise the system in an inertia that degrades people. I acknowledge that there are great demands on our public service.

I also attended the launch this morning and the Ombudsman for Children made the point that a recent analysis of the office's casework provided supporting evidence for the need for public service reform. She pointed to a lack of awareness of the impact of civil and administrative decision making on the lives and rights of children and their families. She made the point strongly that, as she put it, "individual children appear to be largely invisible in the decision making process, the result being an excessively bureaucratic approach to public decision making and a disconnect between the administrative decision makers and those affected by their decisions". Bureaucratic decisions can be made but those decisions should not lead to harm for the child where the child's needs are not met

We need a culture where children are treated properly, and the Ombudsman for Children makes the point that law, policy and practice should reflect the value of treating every child "no less than we would want the child we love treated". I hope that value is at the core of this reform, along with value and respect for the dignity of each citizen, especially when dealing with challenging behaviour from some citizens. The system has to serve the people and not the other way around.

In yesterday's edition of The Irish Times Fintan O'Toole wrote an article entitled "Gravy train still stops at all the right stations". He wrote about a bubble of comfort and self satisfaction. It is a kind of "let them eat cake" mentality that exists when we consider the gross inequalities in our society. So when I look at section 7 of the Bill, which refers to chief executive officers, is the Government really going to grasp that nettle and cap the salaries of those at the top? Will it commit to eliminating bonuses and will it at the very least reduce expenses by 50%? Can we have a penalty for those who use bigger cars, rather than the other way around?

In the interests of justice and morality, we cannot expect those on low income continually to take the hit. We must commit to the principle that those with more surrender more to reduce inequality. I hope such a principle will be at the core of this. The universal social charge, water charges and property taxes may have been acceptable in a time of plenty, but not at a time of struggle because they will lead to further inequalities. It will result in a massive on low and medium income homes and make them more dependent on public services when in difficulty. The DPP's office, corporate enforcement and pursuing alleged wrong doings in financial and business affairs cannot be sacrificed at the alter of employment number reductions, nor can essential front-line services.

The Minister mentions traditional public service values of integrity, impartiality, diligence, commitment and the ability of public servants. As a former teacher in the public service, I can testify that those values were in abundance among my fellow teachers. I hope the extra-curricular work that has always been done is acknowledged because that extra hour being sought could do more damage, as many teachers give much more than it, be it in sports, debates, school productions or school tours.

The Croke Park agreement is seen as an opportunity to drive forward public service modernisation. However, there should be an extension in respect of retirement, so that those in public service with vast experience and with the ability and the wish to continue work should not be forced into retirement because they will be at considerable financial loss if they do not retire by next February.

Another point I want to make is that I resent recent moves to pit the poor of this country against the poor of countries in Africa. It is immoral to go down that road.

Reform is key, but it must be thought out, based on expert advice and centred on people in need. I had a letter from a friend which has reminded me of the differences between these groups. It states that the optimist believes in the continuous march of progress, without really getting into how that is going to happen, the pessimist is usually so disengaged that his pessimism protects him from having to do something by projecting the idea that nothing can be done and the realist has a rational belief in the human capacity to solve and cope, provided the action is realistic. Realistic action needs to be daring and radical. That means starting from the top and keeping the needs of the people in mind.

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