John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I say to Deputy Hayes and his party that my party is prepared to do it. Fianna Fáil and the Minister for Finance have indicated clearly the need for that reform. If all parties in this House were to recognise this and put action behind their words, they would support us in the effort to bring about the change that is necessary to create a dynamic public service that will deliver in this time of need.

This is not a criticism of public servants. It is, in fact, a liberation of those who serve in the public service. It gives them the opportunity to play a central role in the reform of this country. Together with the unions, the Opposition and the Government, we can bring about what is necessary in the context of delivering the policies and spend for this country that will make business prosper and give us a better quality of life.

Deputy Kenny referred to value for money, but he is not the first in the House to do so. It is an issue that has been taken up by the Committee of Public Accounts in the past five years, as Deputy Hayes will know. Considerable change has resulted from the work of that committee. Its members have highlighted the loss to the Government and the State which resulted from contracts not coming in on time, overspending on contracts and so on. Through the work of the committee, we have seen new contracts put in place and major roads infrastructure coming in on time and within budget.

We have also seen changes in the Department of Finance. No longer are the views of the committee simply expressed; they are minuted by the Department of Finance and a detailed, comprehensive response is received on the issues validly raised by the committee.

The Opposition should not be afraid to recognise the valuable work and achievements of the Committee of Public Accounts and the Government. That would take an Opposition which is not only there to oppose, but also to put forward policies and recognise where right is being done in the context of Government policy. In yesterday's debate, no reference was made by the Opposition to the 1,300 net jobs being created. What we had was a litany of misinformation and the misquotation of statistics, which were taken out of context and presented in a way designed to embarrass the Government.

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