Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I join with others in welcoming the fact that some briefings have taken place over the past number of days. Following those briefings, I am glad to see that there is much agreement on the kind of work that needs to be done. Yet, I sense that we will spend another week discussing the indignation of what got us into the mess, which is perfectly understandable, and the depth of our problems. We must begin to focus on the solutions and start putting forward what we can talk about and what has to be talked about, namely, where the cuts can be made and usefully done and what are the suggestions.

I do not want front line health services to be cut. If 70% of the bill comprises pay, it is a no-brainer, unfortunately, and that is what we will have to talk about. I do not refer to the people who are paid the least, who are on the minimum wage or who are at the lower levels but rather those at higher levels. It is a simple fact of life. Of course we do not want to cut services but we must ask those who are paid the most how much less they can take in their wage packets and still maintain the same level of public sector services. It is as simple as that and it will have to be done.

None of us wants to impede upon the very good things that are coming forward in the Good Friday Agreement but we cannot continually ignore the elephant in the room. I agree with Senator O'Reilly-----