Alan Kelly (Labour)

I, too, wish to raise the issue of the public service. Mr. Rody Molloy was right to resign and took the honourable option. In a time when we have not seen that from many people, especially in politics, it is good to see honour still exists and we did not see enough of it during the Celtic tiger years. If it is coming back into vogue for a person to resign because he or she believes it is justifiable, it is a good thing.

I am concerned about the numerous attacks on the public service and we need to be clear on what we are discussing. I agree with many of Senator O'Toole's sentiments. We need to talk straight and say that what happened in FÁS was wrong. There may be issues in other agencies. I raised the fact in this House that there is a plethora of tourism agencies and in many cases people do not know the differences between them. I often hear people referring to "Bord Fáilte" or the "tourist board" instead of the relevant agencies. There are overlaps there which need to be looked at in the context of reform, and I am sure there are others.

When we discuss public sector reform, which I am enthusiastic about, we need to be realistic and refer to the OECD report which was debated in the House recently and which stated that the centre in our public service is quite small with large numbers employed in front-line services. Let us be realistic. Does anyone in this House advocate that front-line services be cut? I do not and I would thoroughly oppose such a move.

We need to look at it in a holistic way and need to ensure the plan that is introduced and the "Bord Snip" looks not just at cuts but also at how we can operate more efficiently with the people we have. There are issues at the centre that need to be dealt with. I referred to some agencies and I know of many quangos for which this Government is responsible and may need to be looked at. There is an issue with management in the Health Service Executive that needs to be dealt with. We need to be realistic and ensure the morale of those who work and do a good job for the public is maintained because it is very unfair that they are taking a bashing, as it were.

As someone who worked in the public service for nine years I encourage interchangeability between the public and Civil service. I am convinced that there are many good people in the public and Civil service who feel stymied and blocked in their career progression because of the way the public and Civil service are constituted. Any change in that would be progress. It will not be easy because the plethora of State agencies have different pension schemes, terms and conditions from the Civil Service. This issue was a particular problem in the flawed decentralisation programme where many people could not change and the Government realised this after making the announcement.

It is important to acknowledge that tonight the first national volunteer awards take place. There are 1.5 million people who volunteer for their chosen charities and other activities and it is important that this House acknowledges their contribution. They are fantastic people, I advocate their work and they should be rightly acknowledged tonight.