Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

I heard the Deputy's criticism of the format of the first annual report last year and I take note of it. I know that Mr. Fitzpatrick met the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and I suppose that point was made to him there. We look forward to seeing the nature and content of the next report and I note what Deputy Fleming has said.

I do not accept the point that some of the savings that are not encompassed by the Croke Park agreement are calculated within it. Although as an incoming Government we have revised the numbers reduction targets upwards, all of that had to be done within the existing public service. It was the capacity of the Croke Park deal to allow redeployment to deal with stress points that made the additional downsizing possible. Therefore, I would not say that was a Government decision that had nothing to do with the Croke Park agreement. The entirety of the framework that gives us flexibilities to operate public services in a new and imaginative way, to move people, to have shared services and to do all of the things in our reform agenda are attributable to the Croke Park deal.

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