John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would welcome any progressive measures which optimise the potential for generating savings in the public sector. I have heard numerous stories over the years of State agencies in which people had no work to do or, in some cases, had no work to do for years on end. If that is the case, it is an appalling waste of resources not only in the current economic climate but at any time. This is why I welcome the Bill.

Redeployment is a better option than redundancy. However, I would be anxious for the Minister to confirm there is nothing in the legislation to override the terms of the Haddington Road agreement. It is important we establish in statute that redeployment will first be sought on a voluntary basis rather than by way of public appointments. Surely that would be the most sensible approach in the interests of workplace relationships. Will the Minister confirm that a redeployment radius of 45 km will be observed in the workings of the Bill? I will be glad to hear that as it is reasonable. Regard must be had to a reasonable daily commute time. I know personal circumstances vary from worker to worker and family to family but an increased commute would make life especially difficult for working parents. Will some measures be put in place to prevent serial or multiple redeployments? All public servants and all workers have a right to have quality time with their families and friends, irrespective of what their job is.

I will be interested to hear the Minister's thoughts on whether the redeployment being provided for in the Bill will be used as an alternative to agency staff, in particular in the health service. Many of us know many qualified personnel who are currently unemployed and got their qualifications at the expense of the State. I have no problem with agency workers, as everybody has the right to a job, but in the health service, in particular, there is a big issue where people with qualifications are unemployed and where agency workers are being employed. That needs to be looked at.

I understand the Department of Finance authorised the filling of 5,000 jobs in the public service over the past three. I was surprised when I got these statistics as this is despite the recruitment ban. We have been led to believe that exceptions to the recruitment ban are only supposed to be made in very limited circumstances yet three in every four requests to fill jobs have been approved. My information - perhaps the Minister will confirm it - is that every request was granted by the Department of Finance, including the appointment of 440 tax collection officers to implement the property tax.

This happened at a time when applications to fill countless front-line positions in the HSE and the Department of Education and Skills were rejected. It does not make sense. As one person put it to me, more priority is being given to employing a tax collection officer than to getting someone to provide front-line health services. I have to say I was astounded when I heard the figures I have mentioned.

I believe many exemption requests were granted throughout various Departments in 2012 on the grounds that the posts were essential to Ireland's Presidency of the EU. At the same time, just one fifth of the administration staff sought in the Department of Social Protection to deal with the large numbers of people on the live register have been approved. These are terrible anomalies. All Members of this House know what it is like to deal with the Department of Social Protection. The staff of the Department will accept that it is understaffed. The three workers who used to do something might not be available anymore. The same problems are being encountered in hospital accident and emergency departments. We seem to have our priorities completely mixed up as we make appointments to the public service.

The public service has served this State with distinction in good and bad times. Many public sector workers are on very ordinary incomes. There is a perception that everybody working in the public service receives a big income and has more to give, but that is not the case. The majority of workers across the public service are paid average incomes, but they are bearing the brunt of the cuts that have been perpetrated on them by this Government and its predecessor. One cannot deny that there is terrible disillusionment in the public service. If one speaks to gardaí, teachers and nurses on the ground - I spoke to some teachers this morning at a teachers' conference that is taking place in Waterford - one will learn that they all feel they are being treated quite badly. They understand and accept that we are facing a difficult economic situation. I have always said that this Government is not responsible for that. I try to be as fair as I can to the Government. I accept that it inherited a bad deck of cards. I would always say that. It would be unfair of me to say otherwise. Many people in the public service who are on ordinary average incomes feel they have already paid their fair share, they have done their little bit and they do not need to do any more.

Public servants who deal with the lives of people, such as those who work on the front line in our health service and in the Garda Síochána, need a particular quality of life. If one speaks to doctors, nurses, gardaí or teachers who work in difficult schools, one will hear about the effects on their lives of the types of difficulty they sometimes encounter. They are asking for some fairness in how they are treated. They want to be treated with respect and allowed to have some quality time with their families and friends when they finish their jobs. That is why I am urging the Minister to look carefully and compassionately on redeployment. Like other Deputies, I have spoken at length on the redeployment section of this Bill. I do not think there should be any forced redeployment. Some consideration should be given to family members who have to travel long distances. We should not be asking two members of the same family to travel extraordinary distances to do extraordinary jobs. I have not found many faults with this Bill. Perhaps the Minister will answer the questions I have asked. I will probably support the Bill as I do not see why I should not. I ask the Minister to consider some of the issues that have been raised by the Independent Deputies.

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