Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

Staff will be always replaced. If there is a staffing schedule of teachers and there are X number of pupils, according to the computation there are Y number of teachers. Even if there are retirements in the teaching professions, new teachers will be recruited because we have a staffing schedule which protects front-line services. The same applies to nurses.

Where redeployment will happen - it is happening - is in the general public service. For example, more than 500 public servants moved from a variety of Departments last year to the Department of Social Protection to deal with the exceptional demands on its services, of which Deputy Healy-Rae will be aware. That happened because of the Croke Park agreement. That is the new public service. In the next few years, staff will move all over the place in the new public service. This will involve staff working together to deal with existing demands.

The only other option in response to what Deputy Healy-Rae is saying is that public service staff take another cut in pay. If he is suggesting that in order to keep staff in place we will have to take another 20%, 25% or 30% - call it what one will - off the public sector pay bill, that is not in anyone's interest.

I assure Deputy Healy-Rae that, with flexibility and a rearrangement of resources, front-line delivery of services will be protected. There also will be new opportunities for younger people who know that, if and when the economy is turned around, they will be the new managers of a public service that will be radically different from the public service of the past.

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