Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That was an interesting conversation. I wish to point out that I probably have a different view from other people on this issue. The people who have served their full-time, or not yet served their full-time, in the public service, may still have something to offer and it should not be lost. Their experience and their ability should not be consigned to the waste. They still have a lot to offer and while secondment may be an emotive issue, it does not take away from the fact that as, I think, Galbraith used to say, members of the older generation still have a lot to offer and although they may require longer holidays, they still could offer a great deal in terms of experience that should remain available to the public sector in the event that the public sector was of a mind to accept it.

There is a possibility that we have become "soundbite-ist", for want of a better description, in terms of our reaction as public representatives. I do not contribute to that at all. There was a situation in the military sector once upon a time where an army officer or anybody serving in the army would, after 21 years, avail of a full pension and go elsewhere. That had the double effect of renewing the membership of the Defence Forces on a regular basis. Without any particular intervention, people went elsewhere. People, however, decided to change that and said it was not fair that some people were offered this concession, despite the fact that the original intention was to achieve the result of getting people to retire from the Defence Forces and giving them an incentive to do so.

I refer to taking the soundbites, the emotionalism and the populism out of it. Everybody will oppose somebody getting something they think they should not get. I know we have to protect ourselves and the integrity of the public sector but at the same time, we should keep in mind that the people retiring may still have something to offer. The best way to utilise or to harness that energy, experience and enthusiasm, or whatever, needs to be found. We have not always found it. There are particular options open to some people, such as the Secretaries General referred to, in some Departments, but we need to look further and see how we can utilise those people's services to a greater extent.