Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

We have had this discussion before in respect of the pay and pension bill. The Minister's strategy from the outset in respect of what he terms reform was simply to cut out head count, to reduce the pay and pensions bill. He regarded this as a major savings initiative. The report of the Croke Park implementation group is due to be published today and this question is related. We have never got to the bottom of the real savings to the Exchequer in net terms as a result of all of the cutbacks and the hacking away of the public service and the loss of staff from the system. This is the nub of the issue. The manner in which the Minister deals with what he calls reform in the public sector is wrong-headed. It is not just about head count. I have set this out in some detail on other occasions.

I acknowledge we are discussing the top and tail figures from the tabulated return but for all the bluster and the hardship endured by the front line staff, the savings are not significant. To return to a bugbear of mine, it highlights the real pity of the Minister's failure to address the issue of very high pay. I refer in particular to those in the public and Civil Service who are on salaries of €100,000 and above and the kind of pension pots that still persist to this day, along with the exceptional payments made to people when they exit employment. These are all live issues.

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