Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for at least coming into the House and giving us some information. As recently as lunchtime, I checked the Department's website for any statement on this from him and I could find no statement to date. The only record I can find anywhere is something that was published on RTE on 2 October and, obviously, somebody had a word in somebody's ear. There was no press release, there is no case made for it and there is cost-benefit analysis. It sounds as if the Minister will make it up as he goes along.

He might give us the timescale. He has stated that it will take a few years. One would have thought, the way this announcement came out, that it would happen quite soon. Is it now to be over a two-year or three-year period?

He might tell us who will present the business cases. There was the recent example of the business cases for allowances and they went nowhere. What will happen with the business cases here, who will present them and will they be accepted?

What kind of redundancy payments will be involved? I cannot find anything on the public record officially from the Department. Somebody stated it will be like the HSE package, that it could be three weeks per year of service plus two weeks statutory redundancy. If so, from the taxpayers' point of view, that would be an expensive redundancy package relative to the cost of the staff who took early retirement this year. The Minister might give us an indication of which would be the most beneficial from the point of view of the taxpayer - this or an early retirement scheme.

The one matter on which I agree with the Minister is that any new package needs to be targeted. The Minister stated that he would examine Departments to identify where there are surpluses. As part of that important exercise, he must also examine Departments to see where there are shortages. I need not tell him about the Department of Social Protection where applicants are waiting between nine and 12 months for appeals to be dealt with, cases to be examined, means tests to be carried out or medical examinations. There are shortages. Will the Minister take this into account and where he identifies surpluses, will he move them to known areas of shortages?

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