Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is an opportunity to get out of social welfare dependency and deals with ordinary working people. The difference between the Stormont House agreement and the troika was that we were under the diktat of the troika, given the economic circumstances. The Northern Ireland Assembly is elected freely by the people and makes its decisions in terms of its legislative programme. The public service in the South has had its difficulties regarding pay cuts. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, will begin the process of engaging with the public sector unions on a successor to the Haddington Road agreement and continued reform and has published a series of reform documents in order that the sector here can be more effective and professional and deliver a better service at a leaner cost. Everybody has accepted this.

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