Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this motion. The motion is about honest, constructive and productive engagement with the public sector. Engagement is the key issue. Even in a crisis, engagement must continue. Negotiations do bring results.

We do not have the luxury of sticking our heads in the sand, as the previous Government did. Its lack of engagement and its sleeping at the

wheel fed the fire that engulfed the economy. It was its sleeping at the wheel that resulted in an historic budget deficit of almost 30%. Agreements were made that ran way ahead of inflation. The Government then was spending three times more than it could collect. Today, even though we are in a deep recession, the moves the current Government has made have reduced the deficit to 7.6%. I remind those on the Opposition benches that management, analysis and organisational review are part of our mandate, both legislative and administrative. It is when one holds office that one can effect change, not in retirement and certainly not in memoirs.

I welcome the Government's initiative of introducing a second round of talks to be led by Kieran Mulvey. Creating the conditions to re-engage the parties will not be easy, particularly in light of the potential agenda to be addressed, which has already been alluded to publicly by both politicians and economic commentators. However, such an agreement is essential to the orderly conduct the business of the State in its return to economic sovereignty and in the rebuilding of the State. We are now in the process of rebuilding a new, fit economy, where our taxes actually support the economy.

Nobody said this would be easy and it is not. Any discussion about pay with employees is complex. When the agenda concerns an employer in a difficult financial position and their staff and immediate reductions in payroll costs, the level of complexity increases exponentially. Add the fact that we are talking about the pay of more than 290,000 people at all pay levels and in all roles in the public service and we can understand why the negotiations are enormously complex. Nobody underestimates how difficult reaching an agreement will be, but no one in the talks should underestimate the Government's determination to meet our fiscal targets or its desire to see Ireland's public service meet the challenges of a new era in a flexible and responsive fashion. We would prefer to achieve this through a negotiated agreement, if one can be reached. I believe public servants would also prefer a negotiated solution, rather than the uncertainty that a breakdown in industrial peace in the public service would bring. Their pragmatic approach to the delivery of comprehensive industrial peace across the public service since 2010 has made a significant contribution to the improvement of this country's fortunes.

We are on the cusp of an economic recovery and close to the time when we can wave goodbye to the troika. Now is the time for cool heads and creative thinking. It is vital that the country and the Government stick to our plan, which is working. We need to instil a sense of confidence in the Irish economy again. We all want to see a situation where we can invest in our infrastructure for the public good, building schools, primary care centres and public buildings where contractors and people can have the opportunity to work and earn a living, an investment in all our futures. This will come, but we need to continue to work hard on getting our economy back to full health.

We can never allow never allow the stack of cards of public debt and spend, to build up again. This is a Government of the people and an economy of the people. History will write that the steps being taken today by the Government established a new era in the Irish economy.

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