Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform
Estimates for Public Services 2013
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
1:00 pm
Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister is being disingenuous when he says we are just dealing with those elements that affect his Department. Of course we are, but this procedure will be mirrored across all other Oireachtas committees. The total will amount to €300 million as envisaged under Croke Park II - that is what he has accounted for in this Estimate. What is the message to public and civil servants, and their unions? Is this a ruse or is it phase 1 of forcing Croke Park II through even though it has been rejected? Is this the preamble to unilateral action in respect of legislation? That is the question that arises. The Minister sounded the siren bell suggesting that the Government would run out of money and that it had a €300 million gap in its Estimates. Why would he come before the committee to seek approval for these Estimates, knowing that there are gaps within it? That does not make any sense. The politics of this is that the Minister is saying via this committee and other Oireachtas committees to public service workers that they may have rejected the proposal, but the deal - as he calls it - is going ahead anyhow. That is deplorable and is an abuse of this committee and its elected members.