Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Watt for appearing before the committee. I appreciate that he probably turns up for meetings of the select committee regarding the Estimates but I think this is only his second time before the joint committee in the three and a half years I have been a member so he is very welcome. It would be useful if he came before this committee as the lead person in the Department at least annually. I appreciate that we have a relatively tight agenda regarding the three specific issues about which he has agreed to discuss.

We are speaking in the context of the general reforms of the Civil Service. I had two parents and two grandparents who worked in the public service. One grandparent worked there until she got married and had to give up work. I had a grandfather who was a garda, a grandmother who was a teacher and two parents who worked in UCD. This is not coming from an anti-public service stance at all. The witnesses mentioned the ability to reward people who do an exceptional job or a job well beyond what is expected. I also refer to the ability to do what is very politely referred to as "managing people out". This happens in the private sector all the time. Can Mr. Watt tell us how many people are employed in the public service and how many people State bodies able to manage out because their position is not working, either for them or for the organisation they are employed by?