Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

The Comptroller and Auditor General has issued his report and, as usual, it is getting a fair amount of airing in the newspapers. It will also go before the Committee of Public Accounts. Will the Leader arrange a debate on that important document? I have always felt that while the comptroller will identify places where money was wasted in the order of perhaps tentative millions, based on my business experience there is no doubt that no matter how tightly one runs a company, waste will accumulate. The bigger the organisation, the bigger the waste. There is probably at least a couple of billion to be saved.

This can be done painlessly by honing in on areas where we could effect economies and efficiencies by making people who are quite well paid in the public service, both in middle and higher management, accountable and charging them with getting savings across the board of something in the order of 10% on current public expenditure. Then we should send in a task force and where people are found wanting for failing to do the job with regard to cost efficiencies, their career and continuing employment should be in question. That is the way it works in the private sector and there is no reason it should not work in the public sector. Incentive schemes should also be in place to hone in on this issue. A debate is merited.

I welcome the fact that a move is being made towards a university in the south east. When a previous Government decided to enhance the regional college in Waterford to institute of technology status, unfortunately, everybody else got on the band wagon. On all economic indicators the south east lags behind other regions. It has high unemployment and a low industrial base. We need to try to ensure that the infrastructure is in place in the south east so that people living in that region can have some prospects of securing employment there.

Bhí mé ag éisteacht go cúramach leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh agus an Seanadóir Harte agus nílim i gcoinne aon rud a chuala mé uathu. I do not have a difficulty with regard to extending the franchise for the presidential election.