Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not agreed. I am opposing any time for the Minister to make an opening statement on the Revised Estimates as presented. The Government, through the Department of the Taoiseach, informed the Opposition parties last week in the Dáil that the 2013 Revised Estimates for public services largely follows the budget day allocations, with the pay deal recommendations by the Labour Relations Commission, LRC, having been programmed into the Department's Estimates. It might have escaped the Minister's attention but the pay deal recommended by the LRC has been rejected by two thirds of public sector workers who were asked by the Minister to vote on it. The pay deal no longer exists and it is an affront to all public servants that the Minister should be in here today while calling for a period of reflection. He has suggested that we must consider the next step while simultaneously ploughing ahead with these Estimates.

I repeat that the memo from the Department of the Taoiseach indicates that the budget day allocation includes the pay deal recommendations by the LRC. Those recommendations have been programmed into the Department's Estimates. I am refusing to discuss any Estimates at this point that include the rejected recommendations of the LRC. I cannot believe that the Minister has gone ahead with the Revised Estimates with the LRC proposals in them. I could understand the Minister coming forward with an overall global figure of what he would like to achieve. It is ironic that this is coming from the Minister who threatened public servants during the critical voting period with across the board pay cuts. Now he is coming here with the LRC recommendations. Why did he ask people to vote if he intended to come in here today with those recommendations in the Estimates? It is ironic that he is in here so quickly.

I am opposing the timetable proposed for today's meeting.