Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

Public sector wages need to be tightly controlled. If benchmarking is to recur, it should be related specifically to quantifiable productivity. There should also be some type of programme for the eradication of waste in general public expenditure.

To echo everybody else who has spoken, I welcome the significant increases for all people in receipt of social welfare, particularly old-age pensioners. A focus on these people shows an ethos that is essential in a growing economy, where many people are much better off than they were previously. It is imperative to ensure those at lower income levels are looked after in a way that gives these people a better quality of life.