Dáil debates

Wednesday, 15 October 2008

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed

 

11:00 am

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The result of yesterday's efforts is that taxpayers are punch drunk. Everywhere they go they will have to pay. The Government is making every person pay for what has happened. This should have been stopped before now. The recent Comptroller and Auditor General's report highlighted the ludicrous extent of waste in the HSE, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and a range of other Departments, but the Government did nothing about that. Yesterday's response regarding the HSE and the public service is merely that there will be a redundancy programme.

The Government has parked decentralisation. We believe in well managed and planned decentralisation, but the plan to move 10,000 public servants to 53 locations within three years was turned into a shambles. The Government has made a list of places that are in limbo until 2011. It is funny that it should be 2011, a year before a general election. I suppose the Government will throw up that flare again and expect people to believe it, as on this occasion. Last week Deputy Mitchell asked questions on arts, sport and tourism. Two decentralised officials left Killarney at 7 a.m. to get here to assist the Minister to provide answers to Deputy Mitchell's questions. The train to Mallow broke down, then the second train broke down. They were on mobile telephones and because of the lack of capacity they could not be heard in Dublin. It is the tale of the disappeared. They never arrived to provide solace and comfort to the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism who was here trying to answer pertinent questions from Deputy Mitchell last week.

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