Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

——is examining in detail all aspects of public expenditure. The group will review the scope for reducing or refocusing the existing range of expenditure programmes and it will look critically at the numbers of public servants employed across all areas of the public service to assess the scope for transferring staff to priority areas, for reducing numbers overall and to identify surplus staff. The overall efficiency of the public service will be examined, including ways of doing business that are out of step with the needs of a modern, responsive public service. The group will also examine and make recommendations for further rationalisation of State agencies beyond the measures announced in budget 2009.

Among the areas coming under the review of the group is the Oireachtas. The Government is anxious that the group expedites its review of where savings and efficiencies can be effected in the Oireachtas. We want to see that happen at the earliest possible date.

I turn briefly to the question of the staffing of Ministers' offices who work on constituency matters. Ministers have two roles, namely, they have responsibility as members of Government as well as their role as public representatives looking after the interests of their constituents. It is very important that Ministers have appropriately staffed constituency offices to enable them to devote due attention to their Cabinet responsibilities in the current economic climate.

Many Members will recall that in a recount in Cork, the Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin, had to make a presentation on the amount of time devoted to his constituency work as opposed to time spent on work outside his constituency. It turned out that more than 50% of the work of the Minister related to issues outside his constituency.

Appropriate staffing levels in this area mean that Ministers can strike a reasonable balance between the time they devote to their Government responsibilities and to dealing with the call of their constituents. Ministers' offices have not been immune from the ongoing drive for greater efficiency across the public service. The 3% reduction in pay allocations in the current year impacts on Ministers' offices as it does on the public service generally.

Furthermore, the Government has also decided that the running costs of Ministers' offices be reduced by at least 10% and this decision has been implemented. In short, Ministers' offices along with all parts of the public service must work smarter with fewer resources. While the Government is fully committed to the achievement of efficiencies and the process of reform, much has been done already in this area and more is in the pipeline.

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