Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senators who contributed for their helpful advice and recommendations.

My colleague, Senator Kett, asked if we had reached the 3% target right across the public service. The latest figures indicate that we have reached 2.7%, which is fairly close to the 3% target, but we will not become complacent if we reach the 3% target. Our aim is to improve on that figure.

Senator Tuffy referred to the 1992 Labour Party manifesto. While I am not familiar with the document, I assume it contained all these wonderful ideas about equality legislation and so on. As usual, it was my party which put them in place. Senators Quinn and Tuffy were concerned about ageism in society and introducing legislation to prohibit the fixing of a compulsory retirement age. I understand and empathise with everything the Senators said. To the best of my recollection — I am open to correction on it — the Minister for Finance touched on the issue in his budget speech. He certainly adverted to the possibility of raising the compulsory retirement age from what it is at present in the public service. He also referred tangentially to considering whether the idea of fixing a compulsory retirement age should be abolished by law. I would like to make history on the issue. It is a decision for Government with wide socio-economic implications. Significant people in Government are thinking in that direction and I will convey to them the views of Members of the Seanad.

Senator Tuffy referred also to State boards. I have put a system in place to regularly monitor how we are succeeding in increasing female representation on State boards. It involves getting a six monthly report from Cabinet and across the public sector. I have already done two of these and the situation has improved from one to the other. I will shortly get the next report and I hope the situation will have improved again. If not, I will speak to some people.

Senator Bannon said the Government's approach to people with disabilities was Exchequer-driven. "Exchequer-driven" is one of the clichés which is trotted out occasionally. Woe betide the Government that is not Exchequer-driven. It is basic economic common sense, national school stuff, that when one is deciding what to spend, one must take account of what is coming in. Otherwise one would find oneself in the position in which the Government left us in 1987. After coming into office in 1983 on the basis that the outgoing Government, led by Mr. Haughey, was spending too much, the next Government more than doubled the national debt in four years. It took years to get out of that hole. That was the result of policies pursued by a Government which was not Exchequer-driven.