Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The truth is that this is reflecting what has been brokered by the Labour Relations Commission to deal with an emergency. The genesis of this is simple. One of the parting gifts this Government was left when we came in to a broken economy by the outgoing Fianna Fáil-Green Party Administration was a profile of expenditure, including many expenditure reductions, but even on top of all the outlined expenditure reductions was a further hole of what they called unallocated savings. We have to address those unallocated savings and in order to get to the 3% deficit by 2015, which we are obliged to do, we must make further adjustments of €3 billion, and 36% of expenditure comes from pay and pensions. I recommended to Government, and the Government was of the view, that it was reasonable to ask for a proportionate contribution rather than go back to front-line expenditure on welfare, health care, the disability sector or education again. That is what we set out to broker on an agreed basis as far as was possible with the trade union movement and, by and large, the movement understood that because all of us, public and private sector, have a vested interest in the recovery of our country so that we can have a way forward that is sustainable and public services of which we can all be proud.

The Deputy makes a point about increments. The point would have been stronger, if she will forgive me saying it, if she had said that some increments should be protected. She did not do that. The negotiated settlement under the Haddington Road agreement will protect increments for all workers who engage in the process.

On Deputy McDonald's point about the protection of collective agreements, collective agreements are vindicated by that. The engagement of trade unions on behalf of their members is fully vindicated, not only in this legislation but by the Haddington Road agreement.

Deputy Boyd Barrett and Deputy Healy both made strong presentations on amendments that are ruled out, and I thank the Chair for making the position crystal clear. The Minister and the Department has no hand, act or part in determining what is and is not in order. That is entirely an administrative decision made by the officials of this House and, ultimately, by the Ceann Comhaire and the Ceann Comhairle's office. I thank the Acting Chairman for making that abundantly clear.

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