Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

The fact that the social partnership talks have concluded successfully is to be welcomed on all sides of the House, although much of the high-wire act of recent weeks could be regarded as contrived and stage managed. It was inevitable that representatives of workers and medium and large business would do a deal because it is in their interests to do so, particularly on pay.

Would the Leader agree that while the objective of the initial social partnership deal was to reduce unemployment and bring stability to the Irish economy, the new challenges we face are different from those we faced in 1997 and 1998? These challenges are about re-engineering public services so that consumers get not just greater efficiency but greater service, and that we deliver on key targets in education, training and our commitments on housing affordability, which is now beyond the sights of many young people. We must debate these matters.

Although we have a difficult few weeks ahead in terms of legislative priorities, a debate in the House on the conclusion of the talks yesterday would be useful. There is an ongoing role for the Oireachtas in monitoring the progress made in that agreement because ten years is a long time. Most Irish people have fallen out of love with social partnership, as they have with Europe. It is no longer as relevant to them as it was in the late 1980s. We all have a responsibility to highlight the importance of it and to show that the new challenges in our economy and society are met during this agreement.