Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I thank Senator O'Malley for taking the Chair. I had not intended to speak on this motion but I heard her contribution and that of the previous speaker and now wish to state a few words on public service reform. I must concede to the Minister of State that I am not an expert on the report. However, we have had discourse on public service reform and pay during recent months and we all have a passing knowledge on it.

I acknowledge the outstanding service and performance of the Irish public service since the foundation of the State. Many problems have yet to be addressed and we face many challenges. However, looking at the history of the Republic of Ireland during the past number of decades, we have made great progress. Much of this is due to the fine public servants working for Departments, State agencies, local authorities and many other projects throughout the country.

We will always have a need for change, reform, fresh thinking and new approaches and we should focus on this. If there is any difficulty with regard to our public service, and we must acknowledge that we are all public servants, perhaps it is that it does not have the flexibility it needs to face the challenges ahead.

Will the Minister of State comment on the decentralisation programme? We can see the difficulties in trying to put in place a scheme which is desirable and worthwhile and which will be good for the country economically and socially. Our difficulty in progressing such schemes illustrates blockages and a lack of flexibility and, perhaps, work practices which are outdated and need to be challenged and changed.

The other immediate issue facing the Government and the body politic is public service pay. This is part of the reform package as are the questions of productivity, bonuses and performance related incentives. We need fresh thinking in this area. The public sector unions have been clear and strong in defence of their staff during recent weeks, pointing out that there can be no pay restraint or reductions. We must acknowledge that in the new economic climate we face, all sectors will have an obligation to respond, starting in this House.

We must recognise that while the public sector and public servants have legitimate requirements and demands and will make a case for further wage increases, on the other side of the equation are certain advantages to working in the public service from the point of view of security of employment and pensions which must be considered in the overall balance. If, over the course of the next twelve or 18 months or two years, restraint is required and, let us be honest, the Government must put in place some degree of control of public expenditure. We must be realistic from a political point of view and the public sector and public service unions must also be realistic.

This is a challenge which I acknowledge will be difficult for the Government to face but it must be faced. We must work as much as possible with the hundreds of thousands of people in the public sector, acknowledge the great strides and progress made but also respond to the fact that we are in a new Ireland and Europe in a modern world where new challenges are emerging. We will not solve all of the old questions with the same answers as we may have done five or ten years ago. This is why flexibility and a more modern approach to our public sector is required. I hope the Minister of State and his Government colleagues will be able to respond to this report and put in place some of the practices recommended.

Often, we discuss shortcomings in the health service. However, more than 100,000 people work in this sector. We must ask ourselves whether we receive value for money and whether we could do things better. This also applies to many Departments. The public service budget as well as the Government's budget all comes back to the taxpayer who pays the bill at the end of the day and, therefore, we must always demand value for money.

Those are a few brief, inadequate comments and I apologise for my lack of preparation. This issue will require much debate, attention and reflection over the next few months and years. New challenges lie ahead and we need to work with the public sector to address them. We will also need the public sector to work with us and to be realistic in facing these challenges. It should acknowledge things cannot be as they always were and we will have to do things differently in future.