Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

No. The Deputy is absolutely wrong. I do not know whether he got the same message on the doorsteps as I got during the last general election campaign. For the first time in my political career, I noted that the demand and clamour for fundamental reform was almost as pronounced as the dismay over our economic collapse. People want fundamental institutional reform of politics, public administration, the civil service and the way in which we deliver services. This is why both parties that form the Government were determined to have reform at the heart of their agenda. We established for that purpose and for the first time a specific Department responsible for reform.

We did a lot of work on this. I prepared a document when I was in opposition last year containing 150 specific reform proposals. I realised that, in order to bring about reform, one must control expenditure. All the advices we received suggested this. I received very good advices from Deputy Calleary, who was very much a reformist in his time as Minister of State. He told me we need to have a different structure, one that will involve control of expenditure.

Why are we bringing in external help? Even those who work with me on devising reform plans say one needs somebody with experience of implementation. I want people who have experience of implementation of institutional reform to drive an agenda that is not a theory or something merely talked about as so many reform proposals have been talked about in the past. The Deputy should judge me, my Department and the Government over time to determine whether we will bring about real reform. He should not expect it all in four months.

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