Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

I am replying to Senator Harris, as I replied to Senator Twomey, if that is possible. My hope is, notwithstanding the different currents about which he knows and describes, that nonetheless sense will prevail among the majority of trade unionists. I have no sense in my constituency that the majority of public sector workers want to take a militant path. Many of them may, for reasons of membership and solidarity, go along with one or two token protests, as they have done in the past, but I do not think there are too many who want to take a wrecking militant path. I agree with whichever Senator said we will have to come back to the reforms identified.

Senator Callely raised a very specific issue about nursing homes and the extension of limits. I would treat it as a pre-finance Bill submission and I am sure it will be considered with other finance Bill submissions.

Senator Bradford but Senator Walsh, in particular, would be in favour of much tougher measures than the Government adopted. Not for the first time, Senator Walsh would have liked the Government to have gone at least twice as heavy on the public sector and social welfare recipients. Leaving aside the question as to whether in some abstract economic sense vis-À-vis international opinion that would have been the right thing to do, a Government, even one as unpopular as the current one, has to bring the people with it to a certain extent. Establishing a consensus on what has to be done is impossible to achieve.

Senator Harris set out in rather stark terms and in complete contrast to Senator O'Toole the reasons a realistic agreement could not be reached and it was simply a bridge too far in terms of the forces with which we were dealing. Even for a Government which is not particularly concerned about its current standing in the opinion polls, there is only so much it can do at a particular time. In terms of the budget recently introduced, the point was made that it would have been impossible to introduce it in December 2008. It is not possible to do everything all at once. Even Mr. Colm McCarthy accepted that the €5 billion in cuts proposed in his report could not be introduced at once or in one year and - I hasten to add - I am sure a certain number of them will never be introduced. On the other hand, other measures he did not identify will be introduced.

Senator Norris is a good champion of his constituency. He raised an issue that Deputy Burton raised in the Dáil yesterday about academic researchers employed on contracts. I have to declare an interest. One of my daughters in Trinity College is in exactly that position. She came home four years ago, is in negative equity and has the mortgage difficulties that have been regularly described in this House. I have every sympathy for her and will certainly inform her that Senator Norris has also been championing her cause.