Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

The Minister is rowing back somewhat in regard to private inspectors and is now prepared to consider our suggestion regarding local authority staff. I agree with most of the points made by Senator Ó Clochartaigh. I know something of this coming from a local authority background and talking to local authority members. There have been massive staff reductions in every local authority in recent years, with contract staff, in particular, being let go. Any county manager will say that staff are finding it difficult to cope with demand. I appreciate what the Minister said in regard to the moratorium on recruitment. There is scope in this regard in the four-year fiscal agreement with the European Commission, EU and IMF. There is nothing in that agreement which binds us in regard to the moratorium. If we are employing additional public servants in order to satisfy the requirements of an EU directive, surely a meeting should be arranged immediately with the European Commissioner and with the EU and IMF to discuss the matter. If, as the Minister suggested but which I do not accept, it is the EU, IMF and Commission which are preventing recruitment, then the first logical step, given that we are aiming for compliance with the European directive, should be an urgent meeting with the troika officials and an urgent meeting with the European Commissioner.

In regard to what the Minister said about the previous Government introducing private inspectors, he mentioned two items of legislation. The Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 makes provision for private inspectors, but one cannot compare that legislation with legislation on septic tanks. One cannot compare protection of dogs - living, breathing animals - to septic tanks.