Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

As I have stated in the House on a number of occasions, the recommendations in the report of the special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes represent a set of options that are being considered by the Government in the context of the 2010 budget.

It has been well flagged that serious inroads in the gap in the public finances between income and expenditure must be made. The report from the special group has provided a broad range of measures for consideration by the Government in that regard. As the Deputy will be aware, it proposes a range of savings relating to various functions of my Department. Towards that end, it proposes that a number of schemes be abolished or reduced and makes specific recommendations regarding agencies under the aegis of my Department and indeed the Department itself.

However, I believe it would not be appropriate for me to engage in a line-by-line discussion of the various recommendations of the report from the special group, not least because of the work that is in train by the Government to frame the budget.

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