Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Yes. It should be here. It is on the way.

I fully acknowledge the contribution that has been already made by individual public servants across the system as a whole. There has been a significant reduction of 11,000 in the number of staff in the public service. Staff have seen significant income reductions. Staff numbers will fall further over the coming years, as the cost of the public service is reduced and service delivery is radically reformed. Crucially, we have agreed with the public service unions a framework, in the form of the Croke Park agreement, which acknowledges the need for greater flexibility and faster change in underpinning jobs and living standards in the public service. The agreement is an instrument not only to enable the public service to live within its means, but to transform it to meet the needs of our citizens in the future.

The Government is looking not only for a slimmed down and less costly public service, but for a total transformation. We need a transformation in what the public service achieves for our citizens. We need a transformation in the targets that are set and outcomes that are achieved for our people across every stage of the life cycle. I refer to children, people of working age, people with disabilities and older people. We need a transformation in how such targets and outcomes are delivered so the overall cost of the public service is sustainable for the economy. We will need extraordinary leadership, creativity and flexibility from management and staff if the commitment to avoid further pay reductions and compulsory redundancies is to be honoured. The Government has no desire to back away from the commitment into which it has entered. However, it can meet that commitment only on the basis of full and comprehensive delivery by all of the parties.

We need to give our people hope. It is important that the country is taking credible, thoughtful and resolute action. This debate can and should be about finding the right solutions to our problems. We need to implement solutions that are right for our country at this time. My absolute and firm conviction is that the challenges we face can be met and overcome. They will be overcome through the resilience and capacities of our people, through the inherent strengths of our economy, through the intrinsic values of our society, through a commitment to courageous, innovative and responsible policies, and through the formulation and energetic implementation of a plan which demonstrates to our people and to the world how we will survive our present difficulties. The scale of the challenge is clear. It is reflected in the significant drop in economic activity and the output of the economy in recent years. That is why we must continue to plan for growth. It is reflected in the increase in unemployment and the reduced prospects for young people who are leaving our schools and colleges.

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