John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

This applies also to the avowed position of a former Green Party councillor on the national airwaves some months ago, at the time of the renewed programme for Government, who said his party would support NAMA and the renewed programme for Government if there was a deal on legislation for animal welfare. I would like a discussion as soon as possible. I am disturbed that we have had a number of debates and the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill has not yet completed its passage. At a time when the Government is talking about setting up an inspection system, much needed in some areas for dog breeding establishments, which would cost millions of euro, the Government is also taking €1 million from the air sea rescue service for the south-eastern region, which will save human lives. There can be no moral equivalence between animal lives and human lives yet the Government seems to be prepared to allow that.

I join with Senators who raised the matter of the Passport Office and the scandalous queues and the misery caused to families across the country because of delays in there. It is the same in local authorities and Departments. There is a failure of members of public sector unions to deal with urgent queries from members of the public and public representatives. What does the Leader understand to be the meaning of the term work to rule? I thought work to rule was where someone does the job but does not do the extra tasks they sometimes carry out as part of their responsibilities. In the Passport Office, there is not a work to rule because people are being paid but they are not doing their job. They are doing it for a few hours a day but not for the hours they are being paid. That is totally and utterly unacceptable. I have the greatest sympathy for lower paid public servants and at the time of the budget I said the first €30,000 of pay for lower paid public servants should not be touched but they are going about industrial action in the wrong way.