Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

What does the Taoiseach have to say to the woman who appeared on television last night? Her spouse is in different employment in Dublin and her children are in education. She explained she does not know whether she has a job or what she will do. Can the Taoiseach tell her what she will do? If this applies in the case of FÁS and the probation service, why does it not apply to the other 34 specialised agencies?

If the Fianna Fáil backbenchers have made such comments publically, one can only assume they have told the Taoiseach privately and at parliamentary party meetings that they have the deepest concern regarding the Taoiseach pushing ahead with what was a calculated political stroke by the former Minister for Finance; that it is incapable of implementation, is damaging to joined-up Government, is uprooting families and is simply unworkable and that it is time to return to the drawing board to come up with a plan capable of implementation and capable of getting the support of those elements of the civil and public service which can easily transfer within the country.

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