Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

The report is excellent. It was an absolute disgrace to hear the negative contribution in the Chamber today at a time when we should all be singing the same tune as we consider how best to move forward in the aftermath of the referendum on the Lisbon treaty.

There is no doubt that the economic challenges we face are great. However, I have no doubt that we will, in time, weather those challenges competently. However, we must remember that there are no absolutes — I wish there were. I would be delighted to be able to come into this Chamber and set out, in four or five points, how the downturn may be reversed in the coming months. However, that will not happen in the short term. We have seen the major shortfall in tax receipts, with a deficit of €3.5 billion for 2008. We know there will be a budgetary deficit of €4.5 billion in 2009. The question is how we can overcome this shortfall in Exchequer receipts. We are all aware of the major downturn in the construction industry, a major source of employment in the economy. We are all wondering how we will cope with the increased employment arising from that downturn. These are the realities.

We must identify where we can introduce further management rationalisation across the board. I have read some sections of the report on reform of the public service. As a former teacher, I have no difficulty in saying that teachers are the best in the world. They are superb in terms of their subject expertise and in their dealing with children. However, we must revisit the issue of how schools are managed. There is no proper training in this regard. I am in total agreement with Senator O'Toole on the need for greater co-ordination between local government and the Department of Education and Science in regard to the schools building programme. I have been pontificating on the merits of such an approach since my days as a county councillor. In that role, I always argued that every development plan should be co-ordinated with an action plan for the future provision of educational needs. It is a pity that this was often not done. We had golden opportunities to avail of sites for free, on which shell structures could have been constructed, ready to be completed in due course. I do not intend to be critical in this regard but merely to point out that there was insufficient forward-planning. We have no choice now but to take that approach and to consider how best to introduce other measures to economise.

We must consider how best we can support apprentices who have been made redundant. Perhaps some of those young people who left school at 15 years of age to pursue an apprenticeship do not want to return to that role and may instead wish to return to education. There is an opportunity to consider some degree of rationalisation of the courses provided by FÁS to fit new requirements. That is my vision. The model of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. working is changing. There must be greater flexibility. Research and development and a continuing major investment in new technologies represent the way forward. We must have a knowledge based economy that fits with the thinking of the future. We want to fit into the globalised market, as we have done before, and we will do so again but with a new model and vision.

I believe we can achieve savings by examining the infrastructure of how Departments have worked in the past and how they will work in the future. That is how to reform the public service. There are great people in the public service. They brought us out of the problems in the past and they will do it again. However, we must work together. We must not dictate from outside but work together from the inside to get this economy back working.

I wish the Government well. I believe we can do what is required. That is the reason I attended the debate this morning. It has been worthwhile because there are many variations in opinions. All I ask, however, is that we stop the negativity.