Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One does not seem to be able to turn on any television or radio station at the moment without hearing a debate on whether taxes should be cut or public spending increased. It is extraordinary but I suppose symptomatic of the failure within the media that at no stage have I heard anyone being questioned about tackling unnecessary or wasteful public expenditure. I have argued it here before, and an ideal opportunity has been missed by this Government in the current economic crisis, but there is a need to have a fairly good cost-efficiency analysis across all public services.

Anyone from a business background knows that wasteful expenditure builds up in the best of managed organisations. It can be anywhere from 10% to 20%. I have spoken to people in the public service over many years. As a rule of thumb, I would say we could save €4 billion if we energetically and systematically tackled waste. It would be roughly 10%. Many public officials have told me I am wrong because I am underestimating it. They tell me it would be as high as 20%. A target should be set. Therein lies the solution to improving our public services.

I cannot understand why a Government elected on a platform of making serious public service reform has, in effect, done very little in this regard. I spoke to a union official approximately four or five years ago who was actively involved in and representative of many people working in the public service. I asked him his assessment of management in the public service.He looked at me and said that there is no management in the public service, there are only grades.

There are flaws that have not been addressed and need to be addressed in the interest of our fiscal position. The Comptroller and Auditor General does a decent job but he is only skimming over the surface of what has been wasted. If we were to drill down a lot of money could be saved. Officials at all levels need to take greater elements of accountability and responsibility, and we need to develop a meritocracy in our public service. We probably do not have time to have a debate on this matter, but I appeal to the incoming Government, regardless of who find themselves in key positions in Cabinet, to make it a priority. Only if we have an efficient and cost-effective public service can we then go to people and say that we need to increase their taxes. I ask that the Leader might take that on board and convey it to Ministers.

The Government needs to look at the curtailing of the size of apartments. We have seen in "Rebellion", the 1916 drama, on our television screens now the tenements in which people lived. We should not be trying to reinvent that type of accommodation. There was no need to reduce the minimum size of apartments. All the Government is doing in effect is contributing to the profits of builders and disadvantaging people who purchase those apartments.