Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Hannigan regarding the vouchers issue. A clear legislative timeline should be laid down for the period during which they can be encashed. The vouchers should also clearly state in large print the deadline for encashment because many people get caught out after Christmas when they find out they are out of date.

I disagree with Opposition comments regarding the task force. Its job is not to tell us what should happen regarding salary and wage reductions in the public service, which are inevitable and which should be taken immediately. Significant numbers of job reductions are needed in the public service and that decision must be taken at a political level. I compliment the Leader on scheduling Friday's debate and I hope it will afford us the opportunity to go into the detail of all this. However, I urge the Leader to ensure a minimum of 12 minutes per contribution is provided for. Members can share if they want. We do not want to end up with a load of soundbites on the issue, which tends to happen during critical debates in the House. Between €5 billion and €8 billion in savings needs to be identified urgently.