Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have spent almost four hours on this. Many members and people supporting them have devoted a great deal of time in preparation for this meeting. At a time when there are 450,000 people on the live register, we have a huge budgetary deficit and the country faces massive problems, the fact we are giving so much time to an issue that should never have arisen in the first place is a sin. I am sure there is someone in the Department with a big enough shredder to take the Fisher Associates report and do away with it. There will be no major financial savings if any of the proposals are implemented. There will be great uncertainty about the delivery of service and the Department cannot ignore the collective voice of all the public representatives who are present because, ultimately, we represent the people. Mr. Mullen cannot continue to ignore those voices. It is rare that Members on all sides of both Houses sing from the same hymn sheet. Will he consider strongly everything we have said?

It is an emotive issue, about which people are angry and upset. It is about time this issue was put to bed once and for all. The Department has tried and failed and it should accept it will not succeed on this because the people will not have it. Will Mr. Mullen examine alternative areas to justify recruiting people who are needed for this emergency front-line service? This is not an area in which the Department has to make a case for hiring staff. It is not an unnecessary service that we can do without in lean times. As assistant secretary in the Department, Mr. Mullen can make that case to the Minister and he can ensure staff are recruited. That is the most feasible solution to the problem. Will he seriously consider that? He should not leave our voices go unheard because we are representing the people of Kerry and Donegal and others elsewhere in the country who are engaged in the maritime sector.

What has been said today is clear and further pursuit of this ridiculous notion would be an affront to democracy. There might be merit in the report if it would make a significant contribution to our efforts to bring about fiscal rectitude or to provide a better service and neither of those prospects is clear. I ask the Department to step back from this and to apply a little common sense.