Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

On the interview by the Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach has stated that the Minister was referring to those increases in public expenditure that arose from social partnership agreements. Will the Taoiseach confirm that any such increases in public expenditure were agreed by the Government and, therefore, the reference by the Minister for Finance to the effect that social partnership did enormous damage to the financial system is simply another way found by that Minister to find another whipping boy to blame for the Government's policy failures? Did the last meeting of the entire partnership framework take place on 15 February 2008? Are there plans for further meetings of it? The Taoiseach referred to the Croke Park agreement and the implementation thereof. How often has the implementation body for the Croke Park agreement met? Is it the case that the Government or various Departments of the Government have now submitted their implementation plans for reforms in the public service to the implementation body? Has the implementation body yet heard the full extent of what the Government and its various Departments plan with regard to reforms in the public service?

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