Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is not so. In the period 2008-13, the Exchequer pay bill fell by 19% through a comprehensive set of measures, including pay and pension cuts, reductions in numbers, restrictions on recruitment, redundancy programmes and so on. The 19% reduction in the pay bill delivered an annual saving of €3.3 billion for the Exchequer for the year. It is a concrete figure for up to last year. There were further substantial falls this year through implementation of the pay reductions under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act and the productivity increases under the Haddington Road agreement. In 18 months, we have made over €800 million in underlying savings.

I indicated to Deputies before that as we recover, I do not want simply to pocket these savings in order to retire debt. Nobody in this House would disagree that we should reinvest some of that money in front-line services. We can do more through efficiencies in back-line services but we should release some of those savings to provide for more nurses, special needs assistants and gardaí, which we have begun recruiting again. We should use it for the elements we need on the front line. Nobody opposite would object to that strategy as we emerge from our difficulties.

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