Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

Like other colleagues, there is positivity in my voice. It is always great on the first day back when everybody is full of jizz and ready to go. I was not going to come into the House; I was working in my office until I heard Senator O'Toole speak about looking for a progress report on the Croke Park agreement. I join him and other Senators who endorsed his request that the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, come to the House today, or on a day the Leader can agree for him to come. Let us get the debate going to see where the Croke Park agreement stands. There are very good and generous commitments on all sides, for pay rates to be frozen and there to be no compulsory redundancies. That is a huge commitment on the part of the Government and the State to offer to public sector workers.

I agree with everything Senator Harris had to say. He speaks with such conviction and passion. He is a man of common sense and a wonderful orator. What he has to say flows from him. I often think, "God, why could I not think of something like that to say." It comes so easily to him. However, every worker in the public sector is not a fat cat on a fat cat salary, but nobody knows that better than the Senator. There are people, whom I represent, who are struggling very badly. However, I have no doubt we will witness positivity arising from the Croke Park agreement. As Senator O'Toole said, if workers can be given an assurance that there will be no further pay cuts in the next few years, it will loosen the purse strings a little and give them the luxury of being able to buy another car, perhaps to build a small extension, go on a family holiday and do the things we are all crying out to do but are afraid to do because we simply do not know what is around the corner, financially, for any of us. For those looking for a new or secondhand car-----