Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dail Eireann" and substitute the following:

"—acknowledges that the business of Government has grown in terms of volume and complexity, and that Ministers of State play an important role in the delivery of the policy aims set out in the programme for Government;

notes that Ministers and Ministers of State have taken a 10% reduction of pay in addition to the public sector pension levy;

acknowledges that the Minister for Finance has asked that savings of at least 10% be made in the costs of running Ministers' offices and that reduction has been implemented;

acknowledges the work being overseen by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to progress the issue of Seanad reform;

acknowledges that the Cabinet has established a committee to draw up a comprehensive programme of reforms to ensure that the Dáil carries out the business of Parliament within an efficient and modern framework, and recognises the need to ensure the best return to the Exchequer;

acknowledges the proposals set out by the Oireachtas Commission, which will result in savings of up to €4 million in the commission's annual budget, and urges a speedy outcome to the discussions which are ongoing with the Minister for Finance;

recognises that the Government will continue the process of reducing the costs of the Oireachtas and the political system in general; and

urges the expenditure review group to expedite its review of where reductions can be achieved within the Oireachtas."

I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address the Dail this evening in relation to this counter motion. I believe that the Government has a good story to tell with regard to Government and Oireachtas reform and the drive for greater efficiency in these areas. This reform is not only timely, but also necessary. Various initiatives have been taken and are in the pipeline. Taken together, they will ensure that the systems of public representation and of governance in our country will be more efficient and address the evolving needs of our rapidly changing society.

It remains true, and indeed inevitable, that the business of Government continues to grow year on year both in volume and complexity. While this is probably the case almost everywhere throughout the world, there are obvious reasons for the expansion of the workload in this country. After many decades of population decline, our population has increased significantly over recent years. The cultural diversity of our people has also increased remarkably over the past decade or so. Our society is now truly cosmopolitan. One has only to keep an ear open on the streets of any of our cities and towns to hear a diverse range of languages being spoken.

While we welcome this cultural and societal diversity, we must acknowledge that it poses particular challenges. These challenges, arising from changes to our population, have long been familiar in many other countries, but are still relatively new in the Irish context. While we can learn from the experience of others, we must forge our own solutions and responses to the issues that social change brings about.

It is widely recognised that the process of government in the modern era is complex and multifaceted. We have a sophisticated and educated population which, rightly, has high expectations of Government. It demands — and is entitled to — top quality public services that are delivered efficiently and that provide value for the tax euro paid. There is a greater awareness than ever before that few problems confronting Government have a single, or narrow focus. Most of what are termed the "big issues" on the Government agenda cut across the traditional boundaries of ministerial and departmental responsibility. I believe all sides of the House can agree that holistic integrated thinking and actions is required to address these issues. This Government is determined to ensure that the appropriate structures that it has in place are adequate and appropriate to address these challenges.

The severe economic and fiscal challenges facing this country add a further layer of intricacy to the issues that I have just mentioned. An economic recession does not mean that the demands on Government have abated. It means we must manage the needs of our country with significantly diminished resources, while addressing the particular challenges and problems that are characteristics of recession in a small open economy such as ours. As we all know, tax revenues have fallen sharply over the past number of months and Government must take hard decisions about spending allocations and prioritise if we are to maintain essential services and to put our public finances and the economy back on the right track. As politicians, these are difficult decisions to take, but are essential to the future of the country. Indeed, the nature of the problems facing the country at present means that the oversight by Government of, and our taking action in relation to, the economy and the public finances must be an ongoing process that requires constant vigilance.

It is essential that Ministers devote their resources to discharging their responsibilities in these challenging times. Anyone who has been privileged to hold ministerial office will know that it is simply not possible for Ministers to carry out effectively the range of complex tasks for which they are responsible without the support of Ministers of State. It is because of the increasing complexity of Government business and the enhanced focus on the need for joined up thinking that the number of Ministers of State has been increased on several occasions since the office was first introduced in 1977. Indeed, it was the rainbow Government which increased the number during its time in office.

I have no doubt that the decision taken by the Government led by former Taoiseach John Bruton and his Cabinet colleagues at the time, Deputy Enda Kenny and Deputy Richard Bruton, recognised the cross-cutting nature of so many of the problems that confront Government. In recognition of this, I would like to say a little more about this factor and the unique role that Ministers of State can and do play in leading and co-ordinating these multifaceted issues and in ensuring that policy responses are appropriate and comprehensive. Deputy Hogan focused on a number of specific areas, but it is important to flesh out areas that, I believe, people may need to understand.

Specific areas of Government activity where Ministers of State play a pivotal role in ensuring joined-up thinking and action include integration policy, where the particular challenges posed by the integration of the new Irish into our community are addressed and suitable policy initiatives brought forward. Ironically, former Deputy Gay Mitchell, now an MEP, was one of the people, along with other parties who called for such a position to be established, because of the high number of multicultural groups in his constituency at the time. Much has been said about lifelong learning. As anyone who has been involved in education for some time will know, this is a new relatively untapped area which requires substantial input, both here and elsewhere. The Government is acutely aware that the needs of the jobs market place and those of modern society demand that all of us remain open to new ideas and to the acquisition of new skills and expertise. I know those Deputies opposite whom I have met in a previous job I held fully recognise the opportunities presented to young and not so young in the area of lifelong learning through vocational educational committees, local partnerships, RAPID groups and so on.

In the area of science, technology and innovation it is clear we must strive to place Ireland at the cutting edge. This is a challenge for various sectors of our society if we are to set the pace once the world economy shows the first signs of growth and renewal. That is why we have a framework document on developing the smart green economy. As regards children, disability and older people, our society must be one that truly cherishes all of its citizens, and attends to the needs of those who may sometimes be marginalised and unable to realise their full potential.

Let us look again, for a moment, at integration policy. The management of the asylum-seeking process has sometimes tended to overshadow, especially in the media, the challenge of facilitating the effective integration of the much larger number of immigrants — including successful asylum applicants — who are settling in Ireland for the medium to long term. Ireland is late on the scene as a major recipient of economic immigration — most of our previous experience has been in the opposite direction. From the immigration experience in other countries, it is commonly held that the most important factor in avoiding socio-demographic problems down the line is the effective integration of the immigrant groups with the indigenous population and with each other. Where this aspect has been mishandled or neglected, the long-term social and economic consequences have proved deleterious, even disastrous in some areas.

The Government have sought to avoid this potential downside by addressing the integration issue in a measured, focused and strategic fashion. To this end, the Government has created an office of Integration under the leadership of a Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, with staff drawn from a number of Departments and State bodies which provide services in this area. Integration issues in so far as they affect all non-Irish nationals coming to the state come under the remit of this new office. A major priority for the office is the development of a coherent national policy on integration which draws on global best practice, establishing what works best, and which is tailored to the needs of Irish society as well as the reasonable requirements of immigrants who are lawfully resident in the State.

Another area of public policy, arising from demographic changes, which the Government believes merits increased and intensified focus, is the particular range of problems arising from the steadily increasing proportion of persons aged 65 and over in the population. In 2006 the percentage of the population aged 65 and over was 11%. By 2011 this is estimated to rise to 14.1% and to 20% by 2036. This expansion has to be planned for, and problems of particular relevance to this older generation addressed. A central element is the preparation of a new national positive ageing strategy — an interdepartmental strategy which is being developed under the supervision of the Minister of State with responsibility for older people, Deputy Máire Hoctor. These are some of the problems that fall to be addressed as the population of older persons continues to increase both in absolute and in percentage terms, and which reinforce the need for extra assistance at Minister of State level. Public policy has become more complex as our society has grown and developed. We are all aware of the need to tackle various policy issues in an interdepartmental and more focused manner.

The motion before the House represents a certain cynicism on behalf of the Opposition. In the run-up to the election in 2007, the so-called "Mullingar accord" promised new Departments including one for small business, as suggested by Deputy Hogan. There was to be a Minister with responsibility for integration, one for a healthy population, a full Department of the marine and a new Minister of State with responsibility for labour and social affairs. I would be the first to admit that each of these is worthy of a special policy focus. However, for the Opposition to now put down tonight's motion only strengthens the cynicism that many people have towards politics.

See this speech in context