Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I strongly agree with Senator Twomey. I am sure almost every Member agrees with the sentiments he expressed. The Minister for Finance is a reasonable man who is always prepared to share his views with fellow politicians. If, as I understand to be the case, he is going to address members of the Fianna Fáil Party later today, I see no reason he should not address the Seanad. Even Fianna Fáil backbenchers perceive the proposal that unpaid leave among public sector workers is the answer to our woes to be complete pie in the sky. The proposal is completely unworkable and would lead to a shortfall of perhaps €600 million in the €1.3 billion savings required in the public sector pay bill. If progress is to be made in this area, there must be an element of pay cuts, in addition to the proposal relating to unpaid leave. As stated in recent days, in the overall context that figure of €1.3 billion is a mere stumble in the right direction. We have a long way to go in this regard. I hope the Leader will arrange for the Minister for Finance to come before the House in order that he might outline the position and indicate how it is intended to bridge the gap in the public finances.