Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

The principal commitments given were to no reductions in pay, no compulsory redundancies and an extension of the period within which the January 2010 pay reductions will be disregarded for the purposes of calculating public service pension entitlements to the end of 2011. I encourage members of unions or associations that have stayed outside the process to consider their position carefully. Requests for renegotiation of parts of the agreement or the Government's agenda for transformation of the public services will not be entertained but progress can be made, and perhaps some reassurance given, where the practical application of the proposals is worked through between management and unions.

The public service has a critical role to play during these difficult times in the process of national recovery and in providing services to our citizens. It must display flexibility in being able to respond to rapidly changing demands and it must manage to do this with significantly fewer resources. In the Croke Park agreement, we have a shared view between management and unions of the sort of changes across the public service that will produce greater efficiency, better services for the public and more satisfactory working conditions for public servants. The transformation agenda, together with the full implementation of the Croke Park agreement, will ensure that the public service is equipped to be capable of meeting the challenges of the future.