Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising the matter and acknowledge her service as one of my predecessors. I will not comment on the office as I do not have that much experience in that regard.

As the Deputy stated, the chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission, Mr. Kieran Mulvey, spoke on RTE's "The Week in Politics" on 24 January about the availability of the Labour Relations Commission to facilitate and assist, in any appropriate way, a process of dialogue between the parties involved in the current industrial action in the public service. I should point out that there are ongoing contacts, as a matter of course, between public service management and unions, both in the context of formal industrial relations processes and regarding the conduct of the current industrial action.

Beyond these operational contacts, the Government believes it would be desirable that both public service unions and management would engage on the wider transformation agenda and the future development of public services and public service employment. However, everyone recognises that the context must be right. There must be a shared understanding of the parameters of any engagement and a willingness to explore what potential exists within those parameters.

Any industrial action is regrettable, particularly when it impacts on service delivery to the public. We all know of cases similar to that described by Deputy O'Rourke. Everything possible is being done to minimise any impact. Whereas the right of unions to take industrial action can be acknowledged, this must be tempered by the obligation to provide a service to the taxpayer, particularly in the areas referred to by Deputy O'Rourke.

As the Taoiseach stated in the House in recent days, the legitimate concerns of public servants will not be advanced in any way through industrial conflict. The Government welcomes recent comments from figures on the trade union side to the effect that an agreed solution to the current difficulties is both desirable and possible. There is a shared view on the sort of changes across the public service that would produce greater efficiency, better services for the public and - as important - more satisfactory working conditions for public servants. It is through engagement on that agenda, rather than industrial action, that the issues of concern to public servants can be properly addressed.

Public service transformation remains a key priority for this Government. Far from being hostile to the public service, the Government is committed to a public service worthy of the best traditions of those who have worked tirelessly to develop our State and its institutions over many decades. We believe that the public interest and the long-term interest of public servants coincide in creating a public service of which we can be proud, and equally, a public service which we can afford, both now and into the long term.

Both the Government, especially in its role as employer, and trade unions recognise that change is important, and both sides know what needs to be done in each sector to achieve change. It is important for the public service and the citizen that there is engagement on this reform agenda.

I am acutely aware of the difficulty that the reductions in public service pay are causing people on a personal basis but the Government had to take these decisions to stabilise the public finances. We did this not because we wanted to, but because we had to. They are simply a matter of budgetary necessity in these extraordinarily difficult times.

Ultimately, it is only through real and lasting change based on constant renewal, redesigning how we do our business and fully applying the potential of new technology and challenging accepted ways of working and organisational structures that those who work in the public service will be able to sustain their standard of living. The surest route to secure and stable income levels is to embrace change. There are well-established channels of communication with representatives of the trade unions in the public service and I emphasise that these can be used to signal a willingness to engage in dialogue and pursue a process of meaningful engagement on the challenges facing us.

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