Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Since the establishment of the HSE the number of whole-time equivalent staff has increased by 12%. The Government has decided that a targeted voluntary early retirement scheme will be introduced for the HSE and discussions are under way on the development of such a scheme. This will initially be targeted at surplus middle management and administrative staff, but may be extended to other surplus staff.

Indeed, I believe it is essential to extend such schemes, in a targeted manner, to other areas of the public service where surplus staff are identified. In this context, the Government has decided to conduct a focused review of public sector numbers in all branches of Government to assess whether the resources are being fully deployed in an efficient and effective manner and what economies can be made. This decision will be implemented in November when the report of the task force on the public service is received.

Our approach to public spending requires a systematic change in the way we do business. It is not just a one year phenomenon. It will have to be pursued and consolidated each year. We need to look at public spending on the basis of priorities set by Government. There can be no separate agendas or public bodies seeking to protect their turf. All of us must work collectively to secure the public good.

State Agency Rationalisation

The Government has decided to reduce the number of State bodies and agencies by 41 and to streamline certain other functions. It has also been decided to reduce the number of Army barracks to bring it more into line with operational requirements of the Defence Forces and to permit economies of scale.

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