Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

Last Friday the Government launched a new report on public sector reform, which I read. It is almost as if this Fianna Fáil-led Government woke up after ten years and found itself in office, because there is a whole range of recommendations in the report which should have been in place before now. Why have these recommendations not been in place for the past ten years? This question arises when one reads the report, especially the section on monitoring of agencies set up by the Government. The implications have been most clearly apparent in recent days and weeks with FÁS, and we have an opportunity to discuss that agency later today. Where has this report been for the past ten years? Where was the monitoring for the past ten years? I ask the Leader to provide the House with an opportunity to discuss that report. It is essential that reforms take place urgently given what has come to light in the context of FÁS in recent days.

The lack of reform of the public sector and the lack of oversight has undermined our Civil Service. The Government's responsibility has been passed on to other agencies like the HSE. The Fitzgerald report published a number of months ago indicated that people in that organisation were unclear as to their role. All of this has undermined the public sector. It is very clear that the sector needs reform, although that should not mean cutting frontline services. Such reform is outlined in the aforementioned report and should have been happening over the past ten years.

I ask that the Minister for Social and Family Affairs be invited to the House to discuss pensions. Yesterday she rather strangely said, in her response to people's concerns about pensions, that people could rely on the State pension. Now is probably a good time to discuss the regulatory regime for pensions that is currently in place. It is likely that the regime needs to be altered to ensure the survival of a range of pension funds. Many people are very concerned about personal and private sector pensions. The Government must act in this area but the Minister was not very reassuring in what she said yesterday. A debate on the issue in this House would be appropriate in order that we can hear the Government's plans regarding pensions.