Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is fair. These organisations and their staff understand they are bound by the agreement. However, it seems that through incompetence, inept oversight or something worse, services for the most vulnerable people in my constituency and many others are being cut under the agreement but that in no way shape or form tallies with the agreement. That is where the credibility of an agreement that is about protecting front-line services begins to be damaged. Perhaps Mr. Watt will look into this.

Mr. Watts discussed the moratorium with Deputy Dowds and I was pleased that he commented on the demographic issues within the Civil Service. It is worrying that 4% or fewer of staff are under the age of 30 for a variety of reasons and I welcome the fact that Mr. Watt is aware of that. However, there is not a complete moratorium. Approximately 5,000 people were hired for various posts over the past three years, some of which I am sure were necessary. I would like to understand the criteria applied by the Department when granting permission to fill a post. According to media reports, the Department of Finance has had every request it made approved. Perhaps Mr. Watt will explain the rationale behind that because it was probably quite good and I am interested in it. I am worried, however, that the Department of Health made an application to the Department for a perfusionist, a staff member who uses a heart-lung machine during a cardiac bypass. That was turned down, yet ten judges were allowed to hire law clerks, even though an bord snip nua said the position should be abolished. I presume if I am lying on a bed waiting for a cardiac bypass, I would like one of these people to operate a machine beside me but that post was not granted while ten judges were given approval for law clerks, posts that should not even exist according to an bord snip nua.