John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I will first deal with public sector reform, the elephant in the room, the old order that must change. We and the trade unions are requiring public service personnel to provide services to a modern economy within a system and a culture that are outdated and inefficient. Companies and individuals in the private sector, who contribute enormous sums to the public purse, are demanding change as are many, quietly, within the public service whose potential remains untapped and inhibited by a culture that drives out initiative and restricts the desire and need of individuals to have some control over the work they do. It is time for all stakeholders in the public sector to come together to help create for this country a modern, state of the art public service system. A system that will enable the people within it to realise their full potential, giving Ireland the vibrant, creative, confident, competent and professional service that it must have to maintain its success and to continue to grow.

Pretending that Ministers can change systems and mind set in months, or years, is a political game that takes up too much time in this House. Last week Labour and Fine Gael sought to blame Deputy Harney for a system that everyone in this House knows has been slowly falling apart for the past 25 years.

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